Tom Sandoval is raising his glass high.
The Vanderpump Rules star has started drinking again after cutting alcohol out of his life in the fallout of his monthslong affair with Rachel "Raquel" Leviss, which unraveled during the Bravo show's 10th season.
"I took about eight-and-a-half months off," Sandoval exclusively told E! News of his sobriety journey at VPR's 11th season premiere party on Jan. 17. "I decided I've gotten through all the things I wanted to get through—going to a music festival, doing BravoCon, filming an entire season of Vanderpump Rules, doing my interviews."
Explaining how he's now "in a good place," the Tom Sandoval & the Most Extras frontman said he "just very recently" made the lifestyle change to partake again, as he's now concentrating on "moving foward and staying busy" with his career.
"Going through all of this has got me to understand what is actually important," Sandoval continued, "what should I spend my time and energy and my passion on."
During his dry months, he was also able to mend his strained friendship with costar Tom Schwartz, who previously said he felt "complicit" in the cheating scandal by keeping the affair a secret from Sandoval's then-girlfriend of nine years Ariana Madix.
"I love that man and I know he loves me," Sandoval told E! of his TomTom business partner. "We both have screwed up—him not on this level—but he's a very accepting and awesome guy. I owe him."
However, the same cannot be said about his other castmates. After all, Sandoval described his experience of filming the new season as a "daunting task."
"There was definitely times where I didn't know if I was gonna come back," he shared. "Being around everyone—especially after the reunion—was really, really tough. Sitting down face-to-face with people was one of the hardest things I've done in my life."
Still, the Schwartz & Sandy's co-owner said he appreciates his costars for "all their journeys and all the tough things they've gone through" despite their differences.
"I'm not Negan from The Walking Dead. I'm not a character. I'm a human being," Sandoval added. "We're all putting ourselves out there."
Season 11 of Vanderpump Rules premieres Jan. 30 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Bravo and streams next day on Peacock. For more details about the new season, keep reading.
(E!, Bravo and Peacock are all part of the NBCUniversal family.)