AJ McLean Got A 10-Week Mental Health Check Ahead Of 2nd Sobriety Anniversary

AJ McLean is heading into his second year of sobriety feeling recharged and refreshed after prioritizing his mental health.

While openly discussing his journey and the choice he made to become and remain sober, the Backstreet Boys singer shared that he underwent a weeks-long intensive outpatient treatment to better his mental health. 

Although McLean's alcohol and drug addiction started over 20 years ago, the renowned artist made a decision to become sober toward the end of 2019. Since then, the 45-year-old has candidly talked about his journey, including his struggles, wins, and ongoing adventures.

In his latest update, the "I Want It That Way" hitmaker exclusively told PEOPLE that even though life is going well for him, his sobriety journey is a continuous process. In his words:

"This coming Tuesday, I will be two years sober, so life is grand right now. It never gets easier, but it just becomes a working part of the mind. You have to literally make it an everyday thing whether you make it to a meeting or not."

Explaining how he managed to go through the day-to-day, the "Quit Playing Games" singer revealed that he talked to his sponsor and "people in [the] program every day."

Another tip that has helped him maintain momentum was to enter an intensive outpatient program for mental health after the conclusion of the Backstreet Boys' 'DNA World Tour' in May. Speaking about the program that was held in Arizona and lasted ten weeks, McLean stated:

"I knew I had a window of time, so I said, 'you know what? I need to do some inner work. The sobriety thing is good. I need to go back and do some digging.' Ten weeks for the rest of my life, I am super grateful for it. It was totally worth it."

Just last month, the father of one had admitted to keeping himself grounded while being in the "best shape" of his life. He said at the time:

"I'm trying to keep my feet firmly planted in the program. I've battled self-esteem issues my entire life, and I've learned a lot. My sobriety is the most solid it's ever been. I'm in the best shape of my life, both mentally, physically, [and] spiritually. I'm actually really happy and I love it, and I don't want to lose it. I want to continue to keep growing — growing with my wife and my kids and myself." 

In addition to marking his second year of sobriety, McLean has also been recovering from a hernia surgery. The dancer — who had landed in the hospital one week after news of his separation from his wife, Rochelle Deanna, surfaced — informed fans of his health on Instagram.

In his initial update, he posted an image showing him wearing a nose mask, hospital robe, and head wrap. "Well it's surgery time. Bye bye hernia! Wish me luck. ?," he wrote beneath the photo.

In a subsequent post, which came the day after the operation, the "Sabrina the Teenage Witch" actor uploaded three photos showing off his scars. He began with a close-up selfie of him frowning at the camera as he laid his head, covered with a pink beanie, on a pillow.

For the next shots, the dancer maintains his frowny look and poses in front of a mirror holding his black long-sleeved shirt up to highlight the surgery scars. He penned in the caption:

"Well post op I'm in a s--- ton of pain but hopefully they fixed me up right. Lots of bed rest and movies in my future. Night all. Thanks for the prayers. I appreciate them all."

Without any prompting, McLean's fans expressed their concern for his well-being in the comment section, with one asking, "hope you have someone to look after you post op," and another advised, "I'm so glad that everything went well, lots of rest and take it slow, get well soon @aj _mclean and take care of you ❤️❤️❤️❤️."

"Praying for a speedy recovery and you start to feel pain-free soon don't overdo anything just relax and enjoy some downtime," a second Instagram user added.