Mike Shay Is Recovering In His Own Way, With Help

With his excessive drinking and a troubling prescription pill addiction that prompted concern from the whole cast, Shay's substance abuse on Vanderpump Rules has cast a dark shadow over Season 4 so far. And since time passes between when the show is filmed and when it airs, is Mike Shay sober now? The answer is a little bit strange, since according to both Shay and Scheana, he is sober, but he's not totally "sober," since he still drinks alcohol recreationally, just in more moderation. That's not the typical arrangement you think of when someone is "sober," but it seems the couple's hard-partying past is behind them.

Both Scheana and Shay been very insistent that they're happy with the way things have been going since Vanderpump Rules was filmed. "He does still drink in moderation," Scheana said in an interview with Andy Cohen on Watch What Happens Live(below). "He'll have a glass of wine with his mom, a beer with his dad when he watches football, and that hasn't been an issue. So that's what works for him."

And while she made comments on Vanderpump Rules that some viewers took to mean she wouldn't be happy to be with Shay if he was completely sober, she explained what she really meant on WWHL. Scheana was trying to say she could never "date" someone who was totally sober, since when she was younger, drinking and hanging out at clubs was the primary way that she met people.

But Scheana continued to say that now, if Shay decides that he wants to change his lifestyle and become totally sober, she'd be right by his side, supporting him and maybe even becoming sober herself. She's changed a lot since getting married — even if she can still party with the rest of the SUR-vers, she doesn't need a ton of drinks in her hand to do it. And she had some good news about how Shay is doing now: "He hasn't taken a pill in almost a year now."

All good news for the (relatively) newlyweds. Mike Shay has been expressing his love for his wife all over Twitter, saying that Scheana has always stood by him and thanking her for all of her loyalty and faith.

Scheana has reciprocated the love on Instagram, where she posts couple selfies regularly, and opened up on a super-long caption about how she might not always say the right thing, but that she really loves her husband.

And if you look at the the couple's Christmas photo, you can see how much healthier Shay looks already, after just a year without taking painkillers.

Here's hoping that he continues to succeed with his journey towards recovery — and that even with all of their marital drama, he and Scheana make it. Vanderpump Rules needs at least one healthy, happy couple, right?