Perry is an American-Canadian actor, comedian, and producer. He is best known for playing Chandler Bing on the NBC sitcom, FRIENDS.
Besides that, Matthew has also worked on many other projects as well such as Mr. Sunshine, Almost Heroes, 17 Again, and The Whole Nine Yards.
There is no doubt that Matthew is one of the most successful actors in Hollywood. However, when it came to health, Perry had some serious trouble. He faced some serious health issues. In 1997, he fell into Vicodin addiction, which changed Perry’s life completely.
The addiction destroyed Matthew’s health so badly that it took years to recover. Because of his addiction, Perry lost a significant amount of weight. And the fluctuations in his weight continued for years. Once his weight dropped to only 145 pounds (66 kgs).
Matthew’s Vicodin addiction caused a lot of health issues. It not only made his health unstable but also affected his memory as well.
In one of his interviews, Matthew admitted that he does not remember some of his time at Friends. “Somewhere between season three and six,” Perry said. Well, the good news is that Perry is sober now and is living a healthy life.
Find out how the American rapper, Action Bronson, lost more than 130 pounds.
Matthew Perry’s Struggle With Addiction
Matthew not only struggled with Vicodin addiction, but he also had alcohol, methadone, and amphetamines addictions. His huge alcohol consumption caused pancreatitis, which resulted in a 20-pound (9.1 kg) weight loss.
Pancreatitis is a condition characterized by inflammation of the pancreas. The pancreas is a large organ behind the stomach that produces digestive enzymes and a number of hormones. Talking about his new upcoming book, Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing, Perry said,
“So much has been written about me in the past. I thought it was the time people heard from me,” he added, “The highs were high, the lows were low. But I have lived to tell the tale, even though at times it looked like I wouldn’t. And it’s all in here.”
Matthew’s Recovery From The Addiction
Although Matthew had tried rehab before, it didn’t seem to work. However, in February 2001, Perry decided to go to rehab again. And this time he had quite a great experience.
He felt a burden lifted from his shoulders. Entering rehab had a profound effect on Matthew’s mental and physical health.
And within months of entering rehab, Perry was out of the dr*g addiction and was living a healthy and sober life.
He has remained sober since 2001. After getting out of the dark days of addiction, Perry decided to do something for those who were still there.
In 2011, as a celebrity spokesperson for the National Association Of Dr*g Court Professionals, Matthew went to Capital Hill to lobby congress members in support of funding for d*ug courts. In addition to that, he also opened a sober house in the name of Perry House.
For his efforts against dr*g addiction, Perry was awarded a Champion Of Recovery Award by the White House Office of National Dr*g Control Policy. He still supports dr*g courts and does whatever he can to help those who are struggling with their addiction.
Before & After Becoming Sober
Whereas before Matthew weighed 145 pounds, his current weight is 181 pounds. After becoming sober, Perry’s health has improved greatly and his fans are happy for him.
Also, read how the American actor, Ethan Suplee, lost 255 pounds by changing his diet and working out.
Final Words
There is no doubt that what Perry has done has completely changed people’s perspective of dr^g addicts.
They are humans just like us. The only difference is that they are struggling with their addiction. And we should be more sympathetic towards them if not helpful.
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