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A treatment center brand for addiction and mental health support backed by “Jersey Shore” star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino is up and running.
During a Nov. 13 ribbon-cutting ceremony in Tinton Falls, friends, family and castmates joined Sorrentino in celebrating the official launch of The Archangel Centers.
Following Tinton Falls, The Archangel Centers plans to open a flagship location in East Windsor early next year. After that, Sorrentino and his partners on the project hope to expand it to locations beyond New Jersey.
Founded in partnership with Ascend Behavioral Health Network, The Archangel Centers provides comprehensive care for adolescents and adults struggling with substance abuse, mental health issues and concurrent disorders.
Inspired by Sorrentino’s personal journey from addiction to long-term recovery, The Archangel Centers seeks to combine his passion for helping others with Ascend’s clinical expertise.
Passing on lessons learned
The 43-year-old Manalapan native has been open about his past addiction and recovery.
In addition to publishing his memoir, “Reality Check: Making the Best of the Situation – How I Overcame Addiction, Loss and Prison,” Sorrentino regularly speaks at treatment centers, high schools and colleges nationwide. Also, Sorrentino and his wife, Lauren, recently became intervention certified.
Sorrentino, a 2025 NJBIZ People to Watch Health Care honoree, said, “We’ve raised upwards of $5 million to put up multiple centers … We plan to bring these centers across the United States and maybe even international. That’s how strongly I feel about helping others and saving lives.”
Sorrentino told NJBIZ, “I feel like through my experience, my strength and my hope, I will be able to guide the clients. Addiction can be a touchy subject sometimes and there is a stigma around addiction. I plan to change that. I plan to celebrate sobriety and let people know that even if you make mistakes in life, you can also recover from them. And also live your best life.”
Addiction can be a touchy subject sometimes and there is a stigma around addiction. I plan to change that.
– Mike ‘The Situation’ Sorrentino
“I see these centers growing very rapidly. I feel like there’s a need for someone as authentic as myself and that’s always been my secret weapon. I’ve lived it. The good and the bad,” he said.
‘The comeback is greater than the setback’
The debut of The Archangel Centers comes as Sorrentino prepares to mark a decade sober.
“Jersey Shore” star Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino cuts the ribbon for The Archangel Centers in Tinton Falls. – KIMBERLY REDMOND/NJBIZ
“They say the comeback is always greater than the setback, and I am living proof of that. I like to say I’m proof that rock bottom has a trampoline. Every struggle, every mistake, every sleepless night led me here to this moment. Standing in front of this treatment center, opening its doors to people ready to start their own comeback story,” Sorrentino told a crowd gathered for the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
“This isn’t just a business. This is my heart. This is for the person still out there fighting for their life. For the one who thinks it’s too late. It’s never too late. If I can do it, you can do it. Sobriety gave me back my life, my family and my faith. It taught me that true strength isn’t about how many times you fall. It’s about how many times you get back up,” he said.
“… This center is where people will get back up. It’s where hope will be restored. Families will be healed and lives will be transformed. The final stage of healing is using what happened to you to help others. This is that place.”
Facility co-founder Lauren Sorrentino, said, “Watching you open the very first Archangel Center is one of the proudest moments of my life. Your resiliency has brought you to this very moment. You’ve turned every challenge into strength, purpose and compassion. And now that strength is becoming hope for people who need it most … What you’ve built here is more than a treatment center. It’s a sanctuary, a place where people will come searching for help and leave believing in themselves again.”
‘Intentionally designed’
At The Archangel Centers, treatment programs include a mix of medical detox, therapy, group support and aftercare.
Samantha Hewett, CEO of The Archangel Centers, said the goal is to provide programs “that allow clients to stabilize, grow and maintain progress over time.”
“Every space here was intentionally designed to support their healing and effective, consistent treatment along the way. Our focus has always been to operate with integrity, deliver dependable care and a trusted resource for families, hospitals and the entire community,” she said.
At The Archangel Centers, treatment programs include a mix of medical detox, therapy, group support and aftercare. – KIMBERLY REDMOND/NJBIZ
‘Business as a force for good’
The Archangels Centers isn’t the only New Jersey-based business Sorrentino has ties to.
Last year, he teamed up with Eatontown meal delivery service Eat Clean Bro to launch a line of chicken tenders and French fries. Founded in 2013 by Sorrentino’s friend Jaime Giovinazzo, the business serves meals free of processed food, chemicals and preservatives, and made with all natural ingredients – right to customers’ doorsteps.
In May, Bang Cookies welcomed Sorrentino as its new co-owner.
From left: Social media personality Corey “Corey B” Bonalewicz, Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, and Bang Cookies co-owners Mike Smilo and George Kuan at the Ocean Township shop June 29, 2025. – PHOTO BY DERRICK SUMMERS
Developed nine years ago in Jersey City, Bang Cookies is known for its giant, stuffed soft-baked cookies made with all-natural and organic ingredients.
After getting its start at farmers markets, the venture quickly expanded into brick and mortar, as well as e-commerce. The franchise now has outposts in Ocean Township, Jersey City, Edison, Newark and East Rutherford. Outside of New Jersey, Bang Cookies has stores in Brooklyn, N.Y., and King of Prussia, Pa.
Mike Smilo, co-founder and chief growth officer of The Archangel Centers, said, “Mike and I are childhood friends. And, years later, we reconnected with a mission to build something meaningful and something that helps people … Mike and I came together with one goal – to take our experiences, our pain and our purpose and turn them into something that helps others find hope again.
“We’re partners not only in Archangel, but also Bang Cookies, which is another mission-driven brand that helps schools and children. Everything we build is about impact, about using business as a force for good.”
Smilo runs his own investment firm focused on lifestyle, music and entertainment, medical and aesthetics, and food & beverage. His franchise portfolio also includes VIO Med Spa and European Wax Centers.
