NEWSMatthew Perry Reveals He 'Nearly Died' When His Colon Burst From Opioid Overuse: 'I Had A 2 Percent Chance To Live'
Oct. 19 2022, Published 9:01 a.m. ET
Matthew Perry is coming clean about his addiction struggles, revealing that he "nearly died" at 49 years old when his colon burst from opioid overuse.
At the time, the Friends alum, 53, said that he suffered a "gastrointestinal perforation," but now he admitted that he spent two weeks in a coma and five months in the hospital and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months to help him get better.
“The doctors told my family that I had a 2 percent chance to live,” he said. “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.”
When asked how he stays clean, he has an interesting trick up his sleeve.
"My therapist said, 'The next time you think about taking Oxycontin, just think about having a colostomy bag for the rest of your life,'" Perry said. "And a little window opened and I crawled through it and I no longer want Oxycontin anymore."
These days, the Hollywood star seems to be doing better than ever, especially now that he's cleaned up his act.
“I’m pretty healthy now,” he shared. “I’ve got to not go to the gym much more, because I don’t want to only be able to play superheroes. But no, I’m a pretty healthy guy right now.”
“It’s important, but if you lose your sobriety, it doesn’t mean you lose all that time and education,” he added. “Your sober date changes, but that’s all that changes. You know everything you knew before, as long as you were able to fight your way back without dying, you learn a lot.”
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Ultimately, Perry is looking forward to people reading his memoir, Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing, which will be released on November 1.
"I think they'll be surprised at how bad it got at certain times and how close to dying I came," he says. "I say in the book that if I did die, it would shock people, but it wouldn't surprise anybody. And that's a very scary thing to be living with. So my hope is that people will relate to it, and know that this disease attacks everybody. It doesn't matter if you're successful or not successful, the disease doesn't care."
Perry spoke with People.
