I'LL BE THERE FOR YOU: Matthew Perry credits Jennifer Aniston for 'confronting' him about his addiction
Matthew Perry recalls one 'Friends' co-star, Jennifer Aniston, who made an effort to assist him with his drinking issue. Perry recalled the day Aniston, whom he calls "Jenny," confronted him about his issue. Aniston confronted Perry by saying, "We know you're drinking." The actor recalled this in an interview he gave to the People on October 28.
The actor, who recently admitted in the People interview that he 'almost' died from extensive drug use, claimed that during the height of his success, his 'Friends' co-star Aniston, confronted him about his terrifying drug and alcohol usage. He developed an alcohol addiction in the 1990s while 'Friends' was being filmed. He claimed that, at the age of 24, he could sort of "handle it." But he went on to say that by the time he was 34, he was "entrenched in a lot of trouble."
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As per Page Six, Perry revealed that he was in the beginning stages of alcohol addiction when 'Friends' first aired in September 1994. In the coming years, the issue worsened to the point that, four years ago, his colon ruptured as a result of consuming opioids. Perry spent five days in the hospital, two weeks in a coma, and nine months with a colostomy bag on.
The actor expressed his gratitude to Aniston for confronting him in the People interview. The 'Fools Rush In' actor acknowledged in the same interview that he also took "Methadone, Xanax," and "a full quarter of vodka," in addition to "55 Vicodin a day." The actor made the decision to become sober and find therapy after having to wear a colostomy bag for almost a year to hold feces. In a separate interview, he revealed to People, "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." He further added, "It was pretty hellish having one because they break all the time."
The physicians then informed him that his chance of life was only 2%. "The next time you think about taking OxyContin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life," Perry recalled his therapist saying. Perry continued, "And a little window opened, and I crawled through it, and I no longer want OxyContin."
Additionally, he said that he had quit drinking entirely around the time that filming for the last two seasons' of 'Friends' began in 2002. In the same year, he received a nomination for Best Actor. The now-53-year-old actor gained fame for his portrayal of Chandler Bing in the 1994 comedy 'Friends' has a newly released biography, 'Friends', Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing," which comes out on November 1. In the book, Perry, who is now sober, frankly discusses his prolonged fight with addiction.