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Mike 'The Situation' Sorrentino Talks About The Origins Of His Painkiller Addiction

There's no doubt the "Jersey Shore" cast members have changed a lot since they first met in 2009, but for Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino, it wasn't always for the better. Yesterday, the former "Dancing with the Stars" contestant opened up to Bethenny Frankel about how his life took a dramatic downturn when he became addicted to painkillers in 2012, and tells her exactly how the abuse spiraled out of control.

In the "Bethennyclip below, Mike explains that it all started when he injured his neck and back on the set of "DWTS." "The doctor prescribed me an opioid prescription painkiller for, you know, the pain," he tells Bethenny, adding that even though his own mother warned him against taking the pills, he chose to use them to help with his injury, anyway, and despite sticking to the recommended dose, his body became dependent on them.

"When I first started, it was just an initial feeling of 'I'm taking care of the injury.' Then, after weeks go on, you just want to take the medication as soon as you wake up, because it's a habit," he explained of how easy it is to become increasingly reliant on the pain relief. "I thought it was helping me, and in reality, it wasn't. I totally went away from who I really was."

Check out the clip for more of Mike's story:

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