'Bachelorette' Alum Zac Clark Celebrates 11 Years of Sobriety: 'If I Can Do It, You Can Do It'

Zac Clark is has been taking it one day at a time for 4,015 days now.

In a video on Instagram on Tuesday, the former Bachelorette contestant, 38, opened up about his major milestone in his substance-free life. "11 years sober today, I'm super grateful," the Release Recovery co-founder said.

"I feel very loved," he added, "The beautiful notes and messages, thank you so much for all of that."

Clark continued, "As I sit here and I reflect on the past 11 years of my life I can't help but recognize that actually it has nothing to do with me. This has to do with the people that paved the path for me, those that came before me and, more importantly, the person that is out there still struggling today, struggling with their addiction, struggling with their mental health, feeling like they cannot go on."

The addiction treatment center co-founder added that people come up to him all the time asking how he stays sober and still has fun. "I laugh because I've been given this next level existence that I am so proud of," he said.

Clark explained i twas "hard was being out there on the street, being willing to die to get high one more time, one more hit."

He ended his video giving some motivation for anyone living with addiction listening, saying, "This life is easy and it's beautiful and it's available to you if you want it. Ask for help, we are here for you, we love you, keep going, dig in. I promise you it gets better. If I can do it, you can do it. Let's go!"

This is not the first time Clark has opened up about his sobriety journey.

During his time on the dating show, the New Jersey native revealed that after suffering from a brain tumor just after college, he started taking pain medication and heavily consuming alcohol.

He realized his substance abuse needed to be addressed after a 2011 incident in which he tried to cash a forged check from his dad's account at a bank. Instead of calling the police, the teller called Clark's father, and Clark proceeded to seek help in rehab.

In 2020, Clark tracked down that bank teller, Rhonda Jackson, sharing the moving experience with his followers on Instagram at the time.

"I was reunited with my Angel," the addiction recovery specialist wrote. "It was one of the most powerful experiences I have ever had. She still works at the same bank! I met my hero, I met the woman who saved my life. I got to talk to Rhonda about her children, her faith and her passion for making beautiful prom dresses (you better show her some love @house_of_divine_style.)"

"In a world that is filled seemingly with so much apathy, Rhonda Jackson taught me a valuable life lesson," he said. "Always treat people with love, always believe and always do the right thing. You never know whose life you might be saving."

"Thank you, Rhonda for saving my life," he concluded. "There are no coincidences."

RELATED VIDEO: The Bachelorette's Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark End Their Engagement

Clark competed on Tayshia Adams's Bachelorette season, which aired in late 2020. During the season 16 finale, she picked Clark as her final rose recipient and he proposed to her.

The two seemed inseparable in the months following, even running the New York City marathon together. But by November 2021, news broke that the two had ended their engagement, a rep for Adams telling PEOPLE that "Tayshia Adams and Zac Clark are no longer a couple."

Adams addressed the breakup publicly for the first time during The Bachelorette's Men Tell All special. "All in all, all I have to say is that I'm heartbroken. But we tried really hard and I still love him very much. And I'm not sure that the future holds," she said before walking off the stage.

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Months after their breakup, in June, Clark proved that things were amicable between him and Adams when he offered her support on social media after she received negative comments about their breakup on Instagram.

"Enough is enough," Clark said, defending his ex-fiancée. "One of the problems with social media is it gives people like you a voice and unwarranted power. The truth is, we see this s—-, I see this s—-. It is hard to avoid and it is just not nice, especially when you have no idea what you are talking about/you just make s—- up. I struggle to see why you would be mean for no reason, being kind is so much easier, I promise."

Clark then turned the conversation to Adams and said, "So @tayshia f—- the noise and keep doing your thing."