Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino Says DWTS Led To Pill Addiction Battle

You may remember The Situation (real name Mike Sorrentino) best from Jersey Shore, but it was another project that led to a crippling battle with drug addiction — Dancing With The Stars.

While The Situation’s Jersey Shore stint brought him fame, fortune, and credited his home state and The Shore, DWTS is the show responsible for inadvertently leading him down a rough path.

The situation with The Situation began on DWTS in 2010, when Sorrentino got hurt in the course of his dancing. Prescribed a painkiller to handle the injury, the reality TV star found he was soon dependent on the pills.

However, it wasn’t until he traveled to Australia in 2012 that The Situation absorbed the situation. He explains of the clarity moment that led to kicking his dependency:

“All I had to do was get dressed for a family function and I couldn’t do that. The shirt was laid out, the belt, the pants, everything. The shower was on. I couldn’t even get out of bed. If I can’t do that, how am I going to continue?'”

Now Sorrentino is wise to what was up, and he admits:

“I was suffering a disease.”

Getting clean wasn’t a walk in the park for Sorrentino — who had to go back to Jersey Shore, where booze is part of the show. He indicates that he panicked a little about it, but stayed sober throughout:

“A little part of me was like, ‘How am I gonna get through this?’ but if you watched, I didn’t have one drink.’ ”

He also has some advice for those who are suddenly famous, adding:

“The roller coaster of fame and fortune is definitely a ride in itself but to get to recovery is something special… There is hope out there and you can get help.”

Update Reps for The Situation reached out to The Inquisitr to clarify media reports linking Sorrentino’s injury with his subsequent addiction and recovery. Mike indicated that he never meant to implicate DWTS in his recovery news, and his reps add that Sorrentino knew going in that injury risk was common in any athletic venture:

I saw the article today in The Inquisitr and really appreciate the support for my recovery and Reset Reality. I would like to set the record straight though – I have never blamed ‘Dancing with the Stars’ for my injury and subsequent addiction. I knew the risks of participating in a dance competition and it was one of the best experiences of my life. Thank you again for your continued support.”

Sorrentino had said earlier that a return to showbiz may not be entirely out of the cards, but that a new workout regime and a new honey have been keeping him very busy recently.