Famous for his portrayal of Chandler Bing on friends, Matthew Perry spoke candidly to People Magazine about his substance addiction.
In an exclusive interview about his upcoming memoir, Perry credits his castmates on FRIENDS as his beacon of hope during his tough times.
Perry, who got the role of Chandler at 24, initially had a handle on his addiction but not for long. By the time he was 34, he was entrenched in a lot of trouble. He says that it is possible to gauge the phases of his addiction from his appearance on the show - when he had put on weight, it was due to drugs and when he had lost weight, it was due to pills.
Perry has gone to rehab fifteen times and undergone fourteen surgeries for his addiction. Once, his colon burst due to substance abuse and he escaped death narrowly. He also confesses to not remembering at least three years of filming the show due to his problem.
Perry hopes that sharing his experience with substance addiction can help others understand that it is an illness that can affect anyone, no matter what their background is.
Source: Today