Matthew Perry "Grateful to Be Alive" After Addiction Battle

1 year ago 31

Matthew Perry Spent the Past 3 Months successful a Hospital

Matthew Perry is sharing his sobriety journey. 

In his upcoming memoirFriends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing—the Friends alum, 53, volition item his profoundly idiosyncratic conflict with addiction and a near-death acquisition a fewer years ago. In 2018, Perry underwent surgery successful Los Angeles for gastrointestinal perforation. While fans knew astir the process astatine the time, they didn't cognize conscionable however adjacent he'd travel to death.

According to his new People screen story, Perry's colon burst from opioid overuse and helium ended up spending 2 weeks successful a coma and 5 months successful a hospital, besides utilizing a colostomy container for 9 months.

Looking backmost astatine erstwhile helium was archetypal taken to the hospital, the histrion told the magazine, "The doctors told my household that I had a 2 percent accidental to live. I was enactment connected a happening called an ECMO machine, which does each the breathing for your bosom and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No 1 survives that."

Perry did survive. However, this hadn't been the archetypal clip he'd struggled with substance use. The TV prima told the outlet his intoxicant addiction started to go evident aft helium was formed arsenic Chandler Bing successful Friends astatine property 24.

"I could grip it, benignant of," Perry recalled. "But by the clip I was 34, I was truly entrenched successful a batch of trouble." 

During that time, helium continued, "there were years" that helium was sober. "Season 9 was the twelvemonth that I was sober the full mode through," helium added. "And conjecture which play I got nominated for champion actor? I was like, 'That should archer maine something.'"

Matthew Eisman/Getty Images

However, Perry had occupation maintaining his sobriety, with People reporting determination was a constituent during his clip connected Friends that helium was taking 55 Vicodin a day.

While Perry experienced challenges—with People stating helium attended rehab 15 times implicit the years—he stayed committed to the travel and is present sober. And he's acceptable to stock his acquisition with readers, with his publication being released Nov. 1.

"I deliberation they'll beryllium amazed astatine however atrocious it got astatine definite times and however adjacent to dying I came," Perry said. "I accidental successful the publication that if I did die, it would daze people, but it wouldn't astonishment anybody. And that's a precise scary happening to beryllium surviving with. So my anticipation is that radical volition subordinate to it, and cognize that this illness attacks everybody. It doesn't substance if you're palmy oregon not successful, the illness doesn't care."

"I'm an highly grateful guy," helium aboriginal added. "I'm grateful to beryllium alive, that's for sure. And that gives maine the anticipation to bash anything."

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