Becoming famous thanks to the character of Chandler Bing in the sitcom “Friends”, the 53-year-old actor recounted his journey into addiction in his memoir “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing”, out on November 1st.
The first time he was admitted to hospital at the age of 49, the same doctors were convinced that he would not make it through the gastrointestinal perforation caused by opioid abuse. But after two weeks of coma and five months of inpatient therapy, Matthew Perry was able to get away with it, although for the next nine months he had to walk around with a colostomy bag. “They attached me to something called an ECMO machine that breathes for you and told my family I was 2% likely to survive. That night there were five of us attached to an ECMO machine, the other four are dead, I am not. So the question is: “Why am I saved?” There must be some reason, ”asks the actor at the beginning of his memoir“ Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing ”, due out on November 1st.
«I wanted to tell my story when I was sure I would never fall back into my dark side – explains Perry, who is now 53 years old, in an interview with“ People ”-. Before writing, I had to wait until I was sober and away from the disease of alcoholism and addiction and the most important thing is that I was certain that (my book) would help people. ‘ Chosen at the age of 24 to play the character of Chandler Bing in the sit-com “Friends”, which would have given him notoriety, at that time, however, the actor was drinking a lot, “but I could manage the addiction and there are were years in which I remained sober, like during the whole season 9 when, coincidentally, I was nominated for best actor ».
At 34, however, he was already in trouble up to his neck, to the point that he was taking 55 Vicodin a day. “I didn’t know how to stop. If the police had come to my house and told me “if you drink tonight, we’ll take you to your cell”, I would have started packing. Addiction is progressive and gets worse and worse as you get older ». Knowing the seriousness of his problem, the other cast members have always been overprotective and patient with Perry who has been in rehab 15 times over the years. He has been sober for a while now (he prefers not to say how long) and feels fine, but he knows that possible relapse is just around the corner: that’s why the scars on his stomach – painful reminder of 14 surgeries – serve him as a reminder not to give in to temptation again.
“My therapist once told me, ‘Next time you think about taking oxycodone, just remember that you would have the colostomy bag for the rest of your life.’ Since then, I don’t want oxycodone anymore. What I’ve been through has made me stronger in every way and my resilience is the thing that surprised me the most. I wanted to tell my story without neglecting anything, there is everything inside, but it is also a story of hope, because I am here and I am alive ».
October 20, 2022 (change October 20, 2022 | 15:51)
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