Posted

in

by

Tags:

Mike Sorrentino Says Whoopi Goldberg and Robert Downey Jr. Confronted Him During ‘Every Day, All Day’ Addiction

Mike โ€œThe Situationโ€ Sorrentino is revealing the celebrities who expressed their concerns while he was struggling with addiction.

The 41-year-old rose to fame as a hard-partying, self-proclaimed โ€œguidoโ€ on Jersey Shore โ€” but by the time the original run wrapped in 2012, the New Jersey native was battling addiction to prescription painkillers.

In his new memoir Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation, the reality star said he spent thousands of dollars on drugs during that time after having access to an โ€œunlimited supply.โ€

โ€œWe consumed hundreds, if not thousands, of pills. Every day, all day. I officially had access to an unlimited supply of Percocet, Vicodin, oxycodone, and Roxicet, not to mention Xanax, Valium, and Klonopin,โ€ he wrote in the book. โ€œIt 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.โ€

โ€œWhen 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,โ€ he recalled.

Sorrentinoโ€™s addiction escalated to the point where fellow stars eventually confronted him about the problem, including Jay Leno and Whoopi Goldberg.

โ€œA couple of times, Jay pulled me aside after appearances on The Tonight Show. I could see the concern in his face,โ€ he wrote. โ€œHeโ€™d witnessed it before and wanted to straighten me out. โ€˜Youโ€™ve got to make better decisions,โ€™ Jay Leno told me on more than one occasion. He was a super nice guy, and I felt he was looking out for me. โ€˜Youโ€™re never going to last in this business going the way you are.โ€™โ€

โ€œWhoopi Goldberg was another one who spotted the tell-tale signs of my addiction and tried to call attention to my actions,โ€ Sorrentino continued. โ€œMany 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.โ€

The father of three admitted that he wasnโ€™t โ€œready to listenโ€ at the time. However, a chat with Robert Downey Jr. โ€œleft an impact on me.โ€ Downey has been sober for over two decades and has spoken openly about his own struggles with addiction in the past.

โ€œAs 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,โ€ Sorrentino wrote of the former Iron Man star. โ€œOurs was a quick run-in, but the pleasantries quickly turned into a serious conversation. I remember he showed concern for my condition and implored me to be careful.โ€

Today, Sorrentino is eight years sober. Understanding that itโ€™s a constant battle, he vowed to never return to those low points.

โ€œDuring the throes of my drug addictionโ€ฆ I was my own worst enemy,โ€ he wrote. โ€œIt has always been me versus me. Battling my demons. In my younger years, I didnโ€™t know how to control those demons, and too often I lost the battles. 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.โ€

โ€œEven as a now champion of addiction, I recognize that this is a lifetime fight against the monster lying dormant inside me,โ€ Sorrentino added. โ€œI will never stop working to ensure that the old Sitch never claws his way out and rears his ugly head.โ€

Reality Check: Making the Best of The Situation โ€” How I Overcame Addiction, Loss, and Prison, is out Dec. 19.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *