Jersey Shore‘s Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino celebrated a major milestone on Saturday, revealing that it was his 33rd consecutive month of sobriety.
Sorrentino has had a tumultuous battle with substance abuse over the years, from the unmitigated partying on his MTV reality show to a dependency on prescription medication. On Saturday, the ab-flashing icon made a heartfelt post on Instagram, claiming that he has been clean and sober for nearly three years.
Videos by PopCulture.com
On Instagram, he stitched together a photo of himself from a 2011 episode of Jersey Shore, where he was wearing a neck brace, and a photo of himself proposing to girlfriend Lauren Pesce.
“33 Months Clean & Sober #cleanchallenge,” Sorrentino wrote. “Went from Running into a Wall to Down on One Knee. We do recover.”
Sorrentino tagged New Jersey’s Discovery Institute in his post, presumably indicating that he had undergone rehabilitation at the facility.
The neck brace photo came from an episode of the original Jersey Shore series, where Sorrentino had gotten into a fight with cast mate Ronnie Ortiz-Magro. In a drunken rage, he intentionally smashed his head against the wall. Shortly after that, he collapsed on the floor. He was taken to the hospital in an ambulance.
“I’m alright, just a little head trauma, a little strain,” he said, re-entering the house a few hours later.
Sorrentino’s post on Saturday earned a wave of congratulations, including some from his castmates. Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi left a comment, as did Angelina Pivarnick, who is set to return for Jersey Shore: Family Vacation season two.
“I am legit crying I’m so proud of you,” Polizzi wrote.
Sorrentino has been on the road to recovery for longer than three years. He first sought treatment for addiction in 2012, at the height of his dependency on prescription pills. He did well for a while after that, though in 2015 he injured himself in the gym an was prescribed painkillers for the injury. He returned to rehab not long after.
While his health and his relationship may be right on track, the 36-year-old is still in trouble with the law. Sorrentino pleaded guilty to tax evasion earlier this year. His sentencing has been repeatedly pushed back, most recently rescheduled for Oct. 2. If convicted on all of his charges, Sorrentino is likely facing five years behind bars.
Jersey Shore: Family Vacation season 2 premieres on Thursday, Aug. 23 at 8 p.m. ET on MTV.
Photo credit: Dave Kotinsky/Getty Images for MTV