Alcohol and drug addiction drove Matthew Perry to death
Matthew Perry has published a book in which he shares how lucky he is to be able to tell his story and encourage others to live a clean life after a long battle with addiction and life-threatening health problems.
Perry was widely loved by the public because of the TV series Friends. The drug and alcohol star, now 53, is very candid in his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Bad, which was released today, November 1, in the United States.
Us Weekly reports that Perry's troubles began in 1997 after a jet ski accident. He became addicted to the drug Vicodin and admitted that he could not leave it: “I didn’t know how to stop...”. He then explained that his addiction to substances and alcohol was so bad that "if the police came to my house and said, 'If you drink tonight, we're going to jail,' I'd start packing my bags." writes Perry.
According to experts, he could not stop because his addictions were progressing. Therefore, they get worse over time. After many periods of rehabilitation, the Friends star came close to death at 49.
His colon ruptured due to excessive use of opioids. He explained to people that he spent two weeks in a coma and five months in the hospital. He also had to use a colostomy bag for nine months. “Doctors told my family I had a 2 percent chance of survival. I was put on life support and it's called a Hail Mary. You rarely survive."
The actor admits that it was only thanks to therapy that he managed to stop. “My therapist told me to think about what it would be like to wear a colostomy bag for the rest of my life,” recalls Perry, who is now telling his story in hopes it will help others.
