Friends star Mathew Perry opens up about substance abuse

Matthew Perry had a public battle with alcohol and drugs during the height of his career, but in his latest interview, the Friends star admits he has ‘learnt a lot’ from his dark days.

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by Ellie Hooper |
Published on

While filming everyone’s favourite sitcom, Matthew was actually in the depths of addiction.

Speaking out on his 46th birthday this month, the star has praised the treatment centres he visited for getting him back on the straight and narrow.

Matthew pictured during the interview

But despite this, the star added that rehabilitation is a constant effort, saying: ‘You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and expect to solve it in 28 days.’

‘I’m a pretty private person but I was on a show that 30 million people were watching so people knew. It was very public what was happening to me,’ explained Matthew.

The actor also admitted he finds joy in being able to help others with similar issues, helping them find their own path to recovery.

Phoenix House, a treatment centre Matthew attended

‘I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life. I’ve learned a lot from my failures, but the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and said ‘Can you help me give up drinking?’ I can say yes.’

Perry says he’s keen to use his celebrity status to get his message out there, as people may listen to him more.

‘Just the fact that I’m out there talking about it, just the fact that I used to be on TV, makes people listen a bit more, so I take advantage of that.’

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