Mike Sorrentino — otherwise known as “The Situation” on the hit reality TV show “Jersey Shore” — revealed that a cadre of celebrities once confronted him about his ongoing painkiller addiction.
“We consumed hundreds, if not thousands, of pills. Every day, all day,” Sorrentino, 41, revealed in his memoir “Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation,” which is set to hit bookshelves Jan. 2, 2024.
“I officially had access to an unlimited supply of Percocet, Vicodin, oxycodone, and Roxicet, not to mention Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin,” the “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” star wrote.
“It had all begun by taking a pill here or there just to feel good and experiment, but eventually, the dream turned into a nightmare. I now needed this substance just to not feel violently ill.”
According to the self-proclaimed “Guido” — a term used on the show during its 2009 to 2012 run — he ended up spending thousands of dollars to feed his addiction.
“When my lawyers and accountants later audited my finances, they estimated I had spent a staggering $500,000 on drugs, mostly cocaine and oxycodone, during those years,” he admitted.
Sorrentino revealed that his addiction got so bad that fellow pals Jay Leno, 73, Whoopi Goldberg and Robert Downey Jr. stepped in to confront him.
“A couple of times, Jay pulled me aside after appearances on ‘The Tonight Show.’ I could see the concern in his face,” the former reality star said. “He’d witnessed it before and wanted to straighten me out. ‘You’ve got to make better decisions,’ Jay Leno told me on more than one occasion.”
Sorrentino stated that the ex-late night talk show host “was a super nice guy” and he always “felt he was looking out for me.”
However, it appeared that Leno’s support was not enough for the New Jersey native.
“Whoopi Goldberg was another one who spotted the tell-tale signs of my addiction and tried to call attention to my actions,” Sorrentino continued. “Many times, she graciously reached out to warn me that I was moving too fast. She had a very loving and caring manner about her that I will never forget.”
According to the father of three, he still wasn’t “ready to listen” to anyone at the time, though his mindset allegedly changed after a conversation with “Iron Man” star Robert Downey Jr.
“As someone who had gone through the same addiction issues I was grappling with at the time, he recognized the signs: glasses tipped low, pupils pinpointed, my energy douchebag on blast,” he wrote. “Ours was a quick run-in, but the pleasantries quickly turned into a serious conversation.”
Sorrentino revealed that the “Sherlock Holmes” actor immediately picked up on what was going on. “I remember he showed concern for my condition and implored me to be careful,” Sorrentino recalled.
In his memoir, the reality hunk vowed that he would never return to the low points of his life while also acknowledging that he was his “own worst enemy.”
“It has always been me versus me. Battling my demons. In my younger years, I didn’t know how to control those demons, and too often I lost the battles,” he said. “But in the past eight years of sobriety, the tides have turned. I refuse to lose the war, though I still fight these battles every day.”
As of 2023, Sorrentino has been sober for eight years.
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