‘Jersey Shore’ star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is 4-months sober — reveals what happened after hitting rock bottom on press tour

Gym, tan, recovery.

“Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is four months sober after hitting rock bottom during the April press tour for the series’ final season, where he made headlines for appearing to be back on drugs.

The 40-year-old reality star told The Post that it was the prescription drug Seroquel, which he takes at night for insomnia and bipolar disorder, that caused him to nod off during his now-infamous SiriusXM interview.

“Everyone’s like, ‘Oh, he’s on fentanyl, he’s on opiates.’ And it’s like, ‘F–k, I’ve never done any of that in my life.’ And I’ve always been open about what my substance of choice has been,” he said.

“Jersey Shore” star Ronnie Ortiz-Magro is four months sober after a recent battle with depression and addiction. Courtesy of Ronnie Ortiz-Magro

“If I was using the drug of my choice, I would have been up. I would’ve done 100 interviews.”

The Bronx native’s drug of choice was cocaine, which he revealed he started using again in January after his prescription medications — Seroquel, Abilify, Zoloft and Wellbutrin, which he took daily to treat depression, bipolar disorder and anxiety — weren’t providing relief.

“I got to a point where it was like, ‘Well, the drugs that I’m taking aren’t working, and it’s like, I feel like s–t every day. And this isn’t how I’m supposed to feel,’” he said.

“And then it’s like, ‘I’m just gonna self-medicate. I’m gonna start using again because that’s the only thing that I feel like I have control over.’”

During the interview the “Jersey Shore: Family Vacation” cast did with SiriusXM, Ortiz-Magro appeared to be nodding off, and fans assumed he was back on drugs. SiriusXM

But Ortiz-Magro said he was not using cocaine when he traveled from his home in Florida to Manhattan for the SiriusXM appearance. After arriving at his hotel, he took Seroquel at 3 a.m., right before he went to sleep.

“My call time was at 7 a.m. So when I woke up, it was still in my system … Next thing you know I’m a couple hours in and I’m like, ‘S–t, I’m not gonna make it,’” he recalled.

“I didn’t even want to go to press because I was already going through it. So it was kind of my fault because I kept pushing the flight back, then I finally got the last flight out, which made me arrive late, which made me take my medicine late,” he said.

After the April press tour, the reality star reached out to Beond, a medically supervised treatment center in Cancun, Mexico, to get help. Getty Images for MTV

Ortiz-Magro had hit his lowest point — battling both addiction and depression.

“I’ve always suffered from depression, and I’ve always suffered from addiction. But I’ve never had both,” he said.

“But it’s not my choice, for me, it’s genetics. My depression, my bipolar comes from family. My father was an addict for most of my childhood, he’s been clean for 20 years. I just never thought it would happen to me and it did.”

When he started getting suicidal thoughts, he sought professional help.

“I’d never felt this struggle where it was like, ‘OK, if I go to sleep tomorrow, it will get better.’ You try that that doesn’t work. Then you’re like, ‘OK, like, let me start using.’ That’s not working. You’re like, ‘That’s it. That’s all I’ve got.’ And then, of course, you start having suicidal thoughts. That comes into play because you’re like, ‘There’s no answer.’”

In May, he reached out to Beond, a medically supervised treatment center in Cancun, Mexico, which treats patients with ibogaine, a plant-based psychedelic drug that is illegal in the US.

“The ibogaine, it takes away those cravings. So now you’re able to just live life without having … we call it ‘monkey brain’ … this thing in the back of your head saying, ‘You know, it’d be good to have a drink right now,’” he said.

Ortiz-Magro, who was in rehab twice before in West Palm Beach, Fla., said as soon as he entered Beond, he realized his fellow patients, who hailed from places like Australia, England, Dallas, Louisiana and Los Angeles, were “more vulnerable and willing to try anything.”

“People in rehab, they’re like down and out. But people at Beond, you could tell they’re there because the next choice is death,” he said.

Since returning home, Ortiz-Magro, who shares an 8-year-old daughter, Ariana, with his ex-girlfriend, Jen Harley, has focused on his role as a father, self-care and staying sober.

“I took my daughter to Universal. I took her to go see Teddy Swims. We’ve done like every haunted Halloween thing possible,” he said.

“I’m going to church again, I do AA meetings, I have a sponsor again.”

After he shared his sobriety news on Instagram, Ortiz-Magro was flooded with supportive messages from fans. Mtv/Kobal/Shutterstock

The beloved reality star decided to share the news of his sobriety in a recent Instagram post, where he said, “It’s been 4 months. I haven’t had to take any depression meds, anxiety, bipolar and touched a drink or drug,” which got close to 4 million views.

“I never answer my DMs. But that day I was answering so many. People saying, ‘Thank you.’ Everyone being supportive and showing so much love … that also drives me … to stay sober.

“Because it’s like yeah, people love the old Ronnie, but they love this Ronnie more,” he said.

“So I’d rather be this person than the other person any day of the week.”

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