Matthew Perry talks about his alcohol and drug addictions

Matthew Perry at the 2012 NBC Upfront Presentation at Radio City Hall in New York City, United States.

In the 1990s Matthew Perry became one of the biggest stars on the planet after he landed the role of Chandler Bing on the hit NBC show Friends. While the experience was surely an exciting time for Matthew and the entire cast, he was secretly struggling with a nasty addiction to drugs and alcohol. In an all new interview with People Magazine, Matthew is opening up about his painful past.

During his stint on the show, Matthew admits to heavily abusing alcohol, and after a skiing accident in 1997, he added pain killers into the mix.

“‘Here, take this,'” Matthew recalls being told by his doctor. “I did and I felt better than I ever felt in my entire life. I had a big problem with pills and alcohol, and I couldn’t stop.”

Matthew Perry on PEOPLE Magazine My Life As An Addict

“I was on Friends from age 24 to 34. I was in the white-hot flame of fame. The six of us were just everywhere all the time. From an outsider’s perspective, it would seem like I had it all. It was actually a very lonely time for me because I was suffering from alcoholism,” Matthew explains. “It was going on before Friends, but it’s a progressive disease.”

During his time on the show, Matthew entered rehab twice to sort out his addiction.

“I was never high at work. I was painfully hung over. Then eventually things got so bad I couldn’t hide it and everybody knew,” he admitted. As embarrassing as that may have been, it was one of the key steps in Matthew’s recovery. Once sober, Matthew says he found “true happiness and comfort in my life.”

Part of Matthew’s happiness is found in helping others who struggle with addiction. In fact, that’s what Matthew says he likes most about himself. In recent years, Matthew has been an active advocate of drug courts where nonviolent drug offenders have the option to seek treatment for their addiction instead of going jail and 6 months ago, he turned his Malibu home into a sober house which he named “The Perry House.”

Cue: “I’ll be there for you…

As for his future, Matthew says he will continue to act and focus on helping others and possibly one day start a family. “I think I’d make a great dad, and I think shortly I would make a great husband,” he says.

Top Photo: Ivan Nikolov/WENN.com



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