Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino of Jersey Shore fame was a different person ten years ago. The Staten Island native quickly rose to fame when the hit MTV series premiered in 2009, where he quickly became known for flashing his six-pack and his general dislike for Ronnie Ortiz-Magro.
During the early years of Jersey Shore, fans enjoyed watching Sorrentino binge drink, scout the boardwalk for girls, and cause a majority of the drama that occurred in the shore house. What fans didn’t realize was that they were also witnessing someone struggle with addiction. Despite the massive amount of entertainment this provided audiences, it was clear Sorrentino was grappling with something much bigger.
According to The LA Times, Sorrentino’s addiction to pain killers began after he suffered an injury from his time on Dancing With The Stars. Sorrentino entered into a number of rehabilitation programs in the years after, but always made his way back to Seaside for another summer of partying. As a result, his sobriety suffered. It wasn’t until season 4 of Jersey Shore that Sorrentino spoke outwardly about his addiction. Sorrentino checked himself into rebab in March of 2012.
We’ve seen Sorrentino publicly battle with his demons, but we’ve also seen him rise from the ashes. Today, Sorrentino is a new man. He’s happily married to Lauren Pesce, his longtime girlfriend, and biggest fan. After recently being released from an eight-month prison sentence for tax evasion, Sorrentino celebrated his first wedding anniversary with “Mrs. Situation.” Sorrentino continues to work with those in recovery so that they can achieve what he has.
Now, fans are wondering if he can maintain this positive trajectory. Quite honestly, the answer is yes. From his early days of getting drunk at Karma to the guy we see today, Sorrentino has grown exponentially. He has demonstrated his personal growth time and again. Sorrentino celebrates his sobriety proudly, promoting that he’s “living his best life” wherever he goes, whether he’s filming another season of Jersey Shore or posting to social media. Despite his tremendous amount of growth, Sorrentino continues to express a willingness to grow even more. The positivity he has expressed after his release from prison, the work he continues to do with former addicts in recovery, and his downright joyous captions on Instagram are a clear indication that Sorrentino has conquered his addiction. We can’t wait to watch him continue bringing the positive vibes.
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Jersey Shore airs Thursdays at 8 p.m. EST on MTV.
Source: LA Times
