Matthew Perry Recalls Near-Death Experience Amid Opioid Addiction: 'Only Had 2 Percent of Chance To Live'
Matthew Perry's life was not always as fruitful as it seemed to be.
Following his debut in 1979, Perry established his empire in the industry as an actor. But he is well-renowned for playing Chandler Bing's character in "Friends."
Despite his success, the actor reportedly faced a near-death experience amid his years-long battle with addiction.
Perry gave further details about the horrifying experience in an interview with PEOPLE ahead of the release of his memoir, "Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing." The actor focused on sharing his drug and alcohol addiction journey and opened up about his attempt to be sober and healthy again.
According to the 53-year-old star, the first part of his memoir details how he almost died four years ago after his colon burst due to his opioid addiction. For what it's worth, Perry stayed in a hospital for three months in 2018 after receiving surgery for his gastrointestinal perforation.
"The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live. I was put on a thing called an ECMO machine, which does all the breathing for your heart and your lungs. And that's called a Hail Mary. No one survives that," he said.
Mount Sinai describes gastrointestinal perforation as a condition that happens when a hole forms through the wall of a body organ. It may start in one's gallbladder, rectum, stomach, esophagus, small intestine, and large intestine, among others.
Matthew Perry Says "Friends" Made Him Develop Another Addiction
Perry disclosed that he also started to be addicted to alcohol when he was tapped to become part of "Friends." He was 24 at that time.
Initially, he could handle the struggles. However, it was when he turned 34 that he reached the lowest point in his addiction battle. Perry only weighed 128 pounds during that dark time, and he was taking 55 Vicodin a day as he realized that addiction became progressive as he grew older.
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Fortunately, he survived everything and worked on himself to be healthy again.
Perry did not disclose when exactly he became sober, but he told the outlet he knew everything and learned a lot from it.
As for the thing that keeps him going, his 14 surgery scars on his stomach reportedly became his reminder to stay sober.
After all those things, Perry feels grateful that he went through that thing that made him stronger "in every way."
