Matthew Perry revealed during a recent interview with The New York Times about his sobriety journey and how much he spent to get sober.
The Friends alum is currently promoting his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing. In his recent interview with the outlet, he shared he spent a fortune on his path to sobriety. He said, “I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober.”
The 53-year-old actor also said that he just celebrated his 18 months of sobriety. This means he was newly sober when he attended the Friends reunion special in May last year. The actor also opened up to PEOPLE about his memoir where he pointed out that “everything starts with sobriety.”
“Because if you don’t have sobriety, you’re going to lose everything that you put in front of it, so my sobriety is right up there,” Perry said. “I’m an extremely grateful guy. I’m grateful to be alive, that’s for sure. And that gives me the possibility to do anything.”
The actor also talked about almost losing his life after his colon burst. He was hospitalized for five months and had to use a colostomy bag. His near-death experience all the more inspired him to become sober.
He shared, “My therapist said, ‘The next time you think about taking OxyContin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life.'” And a little window opened, and I crawled through it, and I no longer want OxyContin.”
Perry also credited all his Friends costars for their unwavering love and support, especially during the lowest parts of his life. Jennifer Aniston, Lisa Kudrow, Matt LeBlanc, Courteney Cox, and David Schwimmer were understanding and patient towards him. He revealed there was a point when he was taking 55 Vicodin daily and weighted 128 pounds when filming Friends from 1994 to 2004. He played the character of Chandler Bing in the sitcom that lasted for 10 seasons.
“They were understanding, and they were patient,” Perry said. “It’s like penguins. In nature, when one is sick or very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up and walk around until that penguin can walk on its own. And that’s kind of what the cast did for me.”
Perry’s memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, will be out on November 1.
