In the lead-up to the release of his upcoming memoir, “Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing,” former “Friends” star Matthew Perry has revealed he had spent at least $9 million to overcome his addiction to alcohol and drugs. While Perry has never shied away from his personal struggles in the past, his forthcoming book sees him talk about his issues with substance abuse and alcoholism to much greater lengths.
In a new interview with The New York Times, the 53-year-old, who had a severe addiction to opioids that once caused his colon to burst, said that staying sober was perhaps one of his greatest challenges, hence why the money he paid on staying clean was so high. Perry told the publication that he spent more than half of his life trying to stay clean and checking into multiple treatment facilities to assist him on his journey, but the experience was never easy.
Matthew Perry said he had a moment after he recorded the audiobook for his new addiction memoir when he thought, “Oh my God, what a terrible life this person has had!” Then he realized, “Wait a minute, it’s me! I’m talking about me.” https://t.co/FycAhQVDYY pic.twitter.com/ZRjDjOJQWX
— The New York Times (@nytimes) October 23, 2022
“I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober,” the actor openly shared. As uncomfortable as it may be to talk about his past addiction, Perry believes that speaking out about the demons he faced for decades of his life could potentially help someone who’s struggling just like he was. “Whenever I bumped into something that I didn’t really want to share, I would think of the people that I would be helping, and it would keep me going.”
Earlier this month, Perry also sat down for an interview with PEOPLE where he further touched on his former battle with drugs and alcohol, admitting that at one of his lowest points, he consumed up to 55 painkillers a day while his weight had plummeted down to just 128 pounds.
To make matters worse, this was already a problem for Perry during the 10-year stint as Chandler Bing on the sitcom that turned him into a household name. It’s been quite the journey for Perry to get to a clean and sober path, but all he has to do these days to remind himself of why he prefers living a life away from drugs and alcohol is by looking down at his plentiful stomach scars.
“i love matthew a lot. we’re part of a family. i’m basically ending this with ‘i’ll be there for you’, but it’s true. i’ll always be there for him.”
lisa kudrow and matthew perry’s friendship tho >>>>>> 🥺😭💕💝💖💗💞 pic.twitter.com/hxOKh49LFw
— 𝐩𝐚𝐦 (@intokudrow) October 24, 2022
“The doctors told my family that I had a 2% chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that’s called a Hail Mary. No one survives that,” Perry told PEOPLE, adding that he has multiple scars from the 14 surgeries he underwent to save his life.
These days, Perry deems himself to be a “pretty healthy guy,” and though relapsing in sobriety changes the date a person started their sober date, “it doesn’t mean you lose all that time and education.”