The actor shared his story on an exclusive cover on PEOPLE, “I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again. I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people.”
Matthew Perry Shares What His Memoir Entails
Perry’s memoir began with a realization that he had almost died at age 49. The actor, now 53, recalled the time he suffered from gastrointestinal perforation. He actually spent weeks fighting for his life after his colon burst from opioid overuse and spent two weeks in a coma, five months in the hospital and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months.
Perry once admitted in an interview he had no memory shooting three whole seasons — season three through season six. His alcoholism was just beginning when he started FRIENDS at age 24.
Though he said he ‘could handle’ the amount he was taking, he knew he ‘didn’t know how to stop.’ He would take 55 Vicodin a day and had weighed down to 128 pounds. “I couldn’t stop because the disease and the addiction is progressive. So it gets worse and worse as you grow older.” He added.
What Helped Perry Overcome His Battle with Addiction
He thanked his cast members for taking care of him through the stages and dramatic changes he underwent on FRIENDS, even comparing them to how penguins took care of their own in nature, saying his cast mates were ‘understanding and they were patient.’
As to how he managed to stop taking drugs, Perry reveals what his therapist told him:
The actor is happy to say that after having been to rehab 15 times and 14 stomach surgeries, he has become well-versed on maintaining sobriety. In fact, he had written his memoir in order to help others who struggled with addiction, as well.
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