The Situation opens up about drug addiction — “If I didn’t fix the problem there’d be no Situation”

Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino entered rehab earlier this year for what was said to be an addiction to prescription medication. Fans of Jersey Shore had watched Mike spiral out of control on recent seasons of the show, so in a way, this answered a lot of questions. Now that he has completed his rehab program and finished filming on season 6 of Jersey Shore, he is opening up about what led him to sobriety — and how the late Brittany Murphy was involved.

As any addict eventually does, Mike had hit rock bottom. “I was in a hotel room — probably in LA, Vegas or Miami — and I was watching a Brittany Murphy movie,” he explains to In Touch. “I was probably high.” At the time, Mike was taking up to 15 doses of Oxycodone a day — which explains why he couldn’t remember where in the world he was.

When he recalled the tragic story of Brittany Murphy and her passing, he thought to himself, “Am I going to be that guy that was so awesome on the Jersey Shore and then . . . that’s it?” Even though it was a sobering thought, Mike still was under the impression that he was still in control and could kick the habit at any time. “I really thought I could fix it, that I could turn it around by myself.”

In the height of his addiction, Mike suffered from withdrawal symptoms so intense that he once turned down a $40,000 offer to appear in Australia. “I didn’t even care!” He adds, “When you’re dependent on a substance, it’s the only thing that matters.”

After a wild weekend in Vegas in late Decemeber, his family’s concerns reached an all-time high and they insisted he enter rehab. “On the plane home, they said, ‘Mike, you’ve got to handle this now,’ ” he says. “I knew that they were right, that if I didn’t fix the problem there’d be no Situation.”

Luckily, Mike got help before it was too late. His sobriety remains a focus in his life and has been doing better than ever. He even has a new girlfriend and recently adopted an adorable puppy! We’ve got to say.. we are loving this new sober Situation.

Fans will get to see Mike debut his new, sober self when Jersey Shore returns later this year.