Matthew Perry talks about addiction's journey and being grateful. Image Source: Today
Matthew Perry talks about addiction's journey and being grateful.
Ahead of the release of his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," Matthew Perry details his journey of addiction and how he is just grateful to be here in an exclusive interview with People magazine for the cover story.
Matthew Perry is best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends, and he stated that he wanted to share when he was no longer in danger of falling into the dark side of everything. He went on to say that he had to wait until he was fairly sober and free of the active disease of alcoholism and addiction before writing all of it down, and the main thing was that he was fairly certain it would help people. Matthew reveals at the start of his memoir, which will be released on November 1st, that he nearly died a few years ago at the age of 49.
He publicly admitted at the time that he had a gastrointestinal perforation and had spent two weeks in a coma, five months in the hospital, and nine months using a colostomy bag. When he was admitted to the hospital, the doctors informed his family that he had only a 2% chance of survival, and he was placed on an ECMO machine. He went on to say that the ECMO machine does all of the breathing for the heart and lungs, which is known as a Hail Mary. No one survives that.
When asked where his addiction began, Matthew stated that when he was cast as Chandler Bing on Friends, he was 24 and his alcohol addiction was just beginning to surface, but he could handle it, sort of. However, the actor stated that he was in a lot of trouble when he was 34, adding that there were years when he was sober during that time, which was season 9. Matthew claimed to have been sober for the entire ninth season, and guess which season he was nominated for best actor?
During Matthew Perry's tenure on Friends, he stated that he was taking 55 Vicodin per day and was down to 128 pounds, explaining that he didn't know how to stop and that if the police came over to his house and said that if he drank tonight, they would take him to jail, he would begin packing. The actor stated that he couldn't stop because the disease and addiction are progressive and get worse as a person ages. Throughout the show, Matthew Perry tried to hide his struggles, but the radical changes in his looks each year represented his state of recovery.
Matthew explained that his co-stars were comprehensive and patient with him, comparing it to how, in nature, when one penguin is sick or injured, the other penguins surround and prop it up. He went on to say that they walked around until the penguin could walk on its own, and the cast members assisted him. The actor stated that he has been to rehab 15 times over the years and is well-versed in the tools required to keep his sobriety.
He stated that he is now in good health. He'll go to the gym a lot more because he doesn't want to be able to play superheroes, but he's in good shape right now. The actor also clarified that he is currently sober and counts each day, explaining that while it is important, losing one's sobriety does not mean losing all of one's time and education. All that changes is the sober date. As long as they can navigate their way back without dying, the person still knows everything. He's had 14 stomach surgeries so far, which he says is a lot of prompts to stay sober. He only needs to look down.
When asked how he stopped using drugs, Matthew Perry said his therapist told him that the next time he considers taking Oxycontin, he should consider having a colostomy bag for the remainder of his life, and he said a little door opened and he crept through it, and he no longer wants Oxycontin. Matthew Perry is determined to help others who've battled addiction, sharing that the day he was placed on an ECMO machine, four other people died, but he survived, so he thinks about why he was the only one to stay alive, declaring that there has to be some kind of reason.
Those who read the book will be surprised at how bad things got at times and how close to death he came, and he says in the book that if he died, it would shock people but not surprise anyone. And living with that is terrifying. So he hopes that people will be able to relate to it and realize that this disease affects everyone. It makes no difference whether you are successful or not; the disease is unconcerned.
When it comes to gratitude, the actor believes that everything begins with sobriety. Because if a person does not have sobriety, they will lose everything they put in front of it, so their sobriety is very important. He went on to say that he is a very grateful man, grateful to be alive. And this gives him the freedom to do whatever he wants.
The journey, though at times terrifying, has made the actor stronger in every way. He expressed surprise at his resilience and ability to recover from all of this torture and adversity. He adds that he didn't leave anything out in his memoir because he wanted to tell the story, even though it's a little scary to reveal all of his secrets in a book. Everything is included. Matthew Perry added that his memoir is also a story "full of hope because he is still here.
Please call the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP if you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse.
