Â鶹´«Ã½

Skip to main content

Matthew Perry describes his battle with addiction in his new memoir

Share

Matthew Perry is "safely sober" and to tell his story.

The "Friends" star, who played the lovable Chandler Bing on the show, has written a memoir called "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," which is set for release on Nov. 1. In it, he tells the story of his life and addictions, saying he's finally in a place to talk about it.

"I wanted to share when I was safe from going into the dark side of everything again," Perry tells of the book. "I had to wait until I was pretty safely sober — and away from the active disease of alcoholism and addiction — to write it all down. And the main thing was, I was pretty certain that it would help people."

Perry reveals in the book that due to addiction, he nearly died at age 49 when his colon burst from opioid overuse. He was in a coma for two weeks and spent five months in the hospital.

He details his alcohol addiction during "Friends"

"I could handle it, kind of. But by the time I was 34, I was really entrenched in a lot of trouble," Perry told the publication, adding that he was sober during Season 9.

He said of his castmates: "It's like penguins. Penguins, in nature, when one is sick, or when one is very injured, the other penguins surround it and prop it up. They walk around it until that penguin can walk on its own. That's kind of what the cast did for me."

Perry admits to going to rehab 15 times and that he's "pretty healthy now."

"What I'm most surprised with is my resilience," he said. "The way that I can bounce back from all of this torture and awfulness. Wanting to tell the story, even though it's a little scary to tell all your secrets in a book, I didn't leave anything out. Everything's in there."

CTVNews.ca Top Stories

A 21-year-old man who was charged with attempted murder in the shooting of a Toronto police officer this week was out on bail at the time of the alleged offence, court documents obtained by Â鶹´«Ã½ Toronto show.

NEW

NEW

A teen charged with the murder of another teen on Prince Edward Island last year has pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of manslaughter.

DEVELOPING

DEVELOPING

At least two people are dead and others are injured after a fire ripped through a century-old building near Montreal's City Hall, sources told Noovo Info.

Local Spotlight

Chantal Kreviazuk is set to return to Winnipeg to mark a major milestone in her illustrious musical career.

From the beaches of Cannes to the bustling streets of New York City, a new film by a trio of Manitoba directors has toured the international film festival circuit to much pomp and circumstance.

A husband and wife have been on the road trip of a lifetime and have decided to stop in Saskatchewan for the winter.

The grave of a previously unknown Canadian soldier has been identified as a man from Hayfield, Man. who fought in the First World War.

A group of classic car enthusiasts donated hundreds of blankets to nursing homes in Nova Scotia.

Moving into the second week of October, the eastern half of Canada can expect some brisker fall air to break down from the north

What does New Westminster's təməsew̓txʷ Aquatic and Community Centre have in common with a historic 68,000-seat stadium in Beijing, an NFL stadium and the aquatics venue for the Paris Olympics? They've all been named among the world's most beautiful sports venues for 2024.

The last living member of the legendary Vancouver Asahi baseball team, Kaye Kaminishi, died on Saturday, Sept. 28, surrounded by family. He was 102 years old.

New data from Greater Vancouver and the Fraser Valley shows a surge in supply and drop in demand in the region's historically hot real estate market.