Highlights:
- Matthew Perry stated that being sober cost him a considerable sum of money, about $9 million, in his public struggle against a drug addiction throughout his life.
- During his addiction, the “Friends” star reached a stage where he was taking 55 Vicodins per day, and he discovered he had spent half of his life in rehab facilities.
- He has undertaken 15 rehab stays and undergone 14 operations for medical issues related to his addiction. Perry spent two weeks in a coma and a brief time on life support.
In a Sunday interview to promote the publication of his memoir Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, which is set to get released on November 1st, the 53-year-old Friends star mentioned the $9 million he is thought to have spent on his journey to recovery.
Perry estimated that he had spent $9 million or so on his attempt to quit addictions. The actor also mentioned that he had just celebrated 18 months of sobriety, so it’s possible that he had only recently become sober for the well-liked Friends reunion special that aired in May 2021.
Perry shared his early experiences with drugs, starting with Budweiser and Andrès Baby Duck wine at the age of 14 before moving on to vodka and prescription drugs like Vicodin, Xanax, and OxyContin as he grew older. During his addiction, he reached a point when he was consuming 55 Vicodins a day. His memoir “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” details his decades-long addiction battle.
Perry found that alcohol, as well as prescribed drugs, helped him to relax. At one point, he disclosed that he had pursued 15 treatment stays and undergone 14 operations for medical issues related to his addiction. Perry has spent two weeks in a coma and a brief time on life support.
Perry disclosed that his colon ruptured, causing a five-month hospital stay, a colostomy bag, and a near-death experience. He finally became sober as a result of the terrifying experience.
“My therapist said, ‘The next time you think about taking OxyContin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life,'” he explained. “And a little window opened, and I crawled through it, and I no longer want OxyContin.”
Perry is a competent author who has contributed to television productions like “The Odd Couple” and “Mr. Sunshine,” but he was motivated to start writing during his most recent extended hospital stay in Los Angeles when he started penning down his life story. He revealed some of his work to his manager after reaching 110 pages, who encouraged him to keep going.
He drew motivation from himself to finish sharing his tales and finish the book, dedicating it to his neighbourhood. The book’s cover reads, “For all of the sufferers out there. You know who you are.”
He also expressed gratitude to Jennifer Aniston, Courteney Cox, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, and Matt LeBlanc for supporting him through some of his worst moments on the set of Friends. Perry said, “They were understanding, and they were patient.”
“It’s still a day-to-day process of getting better. Every day,” he said. “It doesn’t end because I did this.”
