Every one of the ‘Friends’ cast is dear to our hearts. Especially awkward and sarcastic Chandler who represents many of us who are way behind in our social skills. All throughout the seasons, Matthew Perry made us laugh through his character. But the actor himself was in troubled waters during the shoots of many seasons.
Perry started faking migraines and pain to get pills to meet his daily addiction until recently in 2018. He has had near-death experiences multiple times which included a coma for two weeks after his colon exploded and also his heart stopping for five minutes. Slowly coming out of his addiction, Matthew Peery spend a lot on his addiction and visited rehabs multiple amounts of times.
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Matthew Perry Has Been To Rehab Countless Times
The fan-favorite actor sweetly called Matty by his friends got addicted to painkillers after the second season of the show ‘Friends’. Prior to his addiction, he had been consistently drinking from the age of 18. Perry had a jet ski accident while filming the movie ‘When Fools Rush In’ and was prescribed Vicodin to relieve pain. This became the state of his addiction.
In his memoir ‘Friends, Lovers And the Big Terrible Thing’, Matthew shares a detailed account of his journey through addiction. There were times when he used to take about 55 Vicodin a day. From fake ailments to raiding cabinets of different homes for medicines, he would do anything to satisfy his addiction.
The number of rehabs and meetings that the actor has visited is a lot in number. He has attended around 6000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, been to rehab 15 times, and has been in detox 65 times. Through the book, Perry also opens up about his life changes due to the amount of money he received through his career. In addition, he also talked about his fear of abandonment and how his relationships ended.
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Amount Spent By Perry On His Addiction
The ‘17 Again’ actor has spent around $7 to $9 million on his way to a better life. He has been on life support, had near-death experiences, and had 14 surgeries with the last one in 2022. Even while in rehab in Switzerland, Perry would fake pain to receive medication. The actor even took a private jet home to get medicine to satiate his needs.
Perry has thanked his ‘Friends’ co-stars profusely for helping him through his difficult times. During the final seasons of the show, Matthew had been living in sober homes and rehabs. It was only in the ninth season that he was fully sober and was also nominated for an Emmy. His projects including ‘Friends‘ had been paused or differently timed as Perry went to detox centers.
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