Ronnie Ortiz-Magro has put down the tough guy facade for a few moments.
In a revealing interview with Us Weekly, the veteran Jersey Shore star has admitted that he checked into a rehab facility after the filiming of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 2.
Why?
Because he finally realized the extent of his dependency on alcohol.
Drunk Ronnie has often been a source of humor and mockey for fans of this MTV franchise, but Ronnie explains below why it really should not be a laughing matter.
Scroll down to read excerpts from his interview and join us in commending Ronnie for taking this step…
Ronnie Has Made Many Headline of Late
And few of them have been positive… and most of them have centered on his VERY rocky relationship with Jen Harley, who gave birth to the couple’s daughter in early April of 2018.
There Have Been Ups. But Mostly Been Downs.
Harley has been arrested for alleged assault against Ronnie… Ronnie has been accused of ransacking Jen’s apartment… Jen has referred to Ronnie as a “deadbeat cokehead” and Ronnie has referred to Jen as a “cum dumpster.” It’s been ugly.
At Least Ronnie Recognized There Was a Problem
“I decided to go to treatment because I wanted to be a better person, a better father for my daughter,” Otiz-Magro tells Us Weekly, adding that he entered the facility for help with depression and alcohol abuse.
A Lot More from Ronnie:
“Eventually, all the bad decisions I was making were going to lead me to places that I didn’t want to be. I wanted to be led to the place that I am now – that’s happy, healthy and the best role model for my daughter.”
Poor Ariana
Ortiz-Magro shares 10-month-old daughter Ariana with Harley, which is what makes their vicious, never-ending back and forth just so sad and troublesome.
It Really Has Been So Vicious and Public
On New Year’s Eve, both sides admit to have gotten into a major fight, with Ronnie claiming that Jen busted open his face with a glass ashtray.
I Have a Problem. I Admit It.
“I think it’s a chronic disease. It’s a progressive disease. I’m still struggling,” Ronnie says of his alcohol abuse.
I’ve Lost Control
“You stop and you start up again, and it’s worse than when you stopped,” he continues. “You’re just like, ‘Wow, I thought I had this under control,’ but at the end of the day, it has full control over you.”
When Did He Enter Rehab?
In mid-January, Ronnie says in this interview, explaining that he realized he needed help after the shooting of Jersey Shore: Family Vacation Season 2.
I Just Had So Many Emotions
Ronnie told Us he was “very depressed,” “very angry” and “resentful” when he first entered the facility.
An Interesting Analogy
Says Ronnie of being an addict: “It’s a monkey that’s on your back, and it’s never gonna get off. It pops its head in, it eats the banana in front of you, it’s just like, ‘Alright, what do you wanna do today?'”
How Did Ronnie Know He Needed Help?
Again, it came back to a loss of control. “I would drink, and then I wouldn’t drink,” he says. “I would work out and get healthy while we were filming or traveling, and then all of a sudden, you start up again, and it’s worse than when you stopped.”
There Was a Snowball Effect
“I was just making the wrong decisions, and I was very depressed,” Ronnie says. “And when I was depressed, I would turn to drinking. And then when I would drink, bad things would just continue to happen because I wasn’t reacting the way I should.”
So… Now What?
We gave up speculating about the future of Jen and Ronnie a long time ago.
We Guess They’re Still an Item, Though
Harley most recently blasted Ronnie for canceling their Valentine’s Day plans, meaning they actually had these plans.
You Suck, Ronnie!
“How did you better anything? You continue to put us back in the same position by doing the same things that put us there in the first place,” Jen wrote in this rant, aimed at her baby daddy.
Has Ronnie Responded to This Accusation?
Not directly, but this is what an insider told Hollywood Life: “He’s so frustrated with Jen and all the extreme drama. And, he’s pissed about what she posted on social media.”
Does This Mean Ronne Will Dump Jen for Good?
We doubt it, even with this same source saying of Ronnie: “He hates that she put up those messages. It’s so disrespectful.”
What About Jen? Has She Commented on the Rehab Confession?
No, but when she trashed Ronnie for ruining her Valentine’s Day, she made a reference to him having gone away for six weeks to improve himself. So we think she knew where he went.
Whatever. You Do You, Ronnie.
We applaud the star for acknowledging he needed help and we very much hope this is the start of a new and improved life for him.