Jersey Shore : Family Vacation star Mike Sorrentino and his wife, Lauren, celebrated an important milestone on Instagram. They were excited to share the news with his 2.5 million followers, who hit the “like” button on the post over 96,000 times thus far.
In a social media post seen here , Mike wrote that he and Lauren have worked one year as recovery advocates for Banyan Treatment Centers. He noted he and his wife are very passionate about their work helping individuals find their way to recovery. Mike felt that the stigma on addiction needs to end, and he and Lauren work each day to get a little closer to this goal. He also shared some staggering statistics in the caption of the post, which revealed that there are currently 21 million Americans struggling with addiction, and only 10 percent of them get the help they need.
Mike revealed that in today’s particularly difficult climate, more people were struggling with depression and self-medication. He implored his followers to not be afraid to ask for help, as difficult as that may be.
He said that during their time as advocates, he and his wife had visited patients at the centers, spoken at colleges, and given scholarships for treatment. Mike and Lauren also created a new Instagram page titled The Hope Dealer, as seen here , to inspire people to live a better life and to link them to resources that might aid in their taking the first steps toward recovery.
Mike concluded his statement by writing that recovery gave him the happiness he couldn’t have ever dreamed of and he wanted that same way of life for those who looked to him for inspiration.
Fans of the reality television star appreciated his dedication to assisting others who struggle in the same way he did.
“This made me cry. I still struggle & I have about 20 yrs but especially this year. I’m older now & boy even though I’m clean & sober the damage is still relentless but hopeful. Thank you,” wrote one follower.
“Yess I love this!! I’ve been sober for 2 years now after a 10-year battle with drugs. Thank you so much for your inspiration and for spreading awareness about addiction. I love you guys. I’m a huge fan,” penned a second fan followed by a face emoji with heart eyes.
Mike — along with Paul “Pauly D” DelVecchio, Vinny Guadagnino, Ronnie Ortiz-Magro, Jenni “JWoww” Farley, Deena Cortese , and Angelina Pivarnick — will star in new episodes of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation starting on Thursday, November 19. Longtime cast member Nicole “Snooki” Polizzi will not appear in this season of the series after filming her last scenes during Angelina’s wedding to Chris Larangeira.