Matthew Perry says he spent “probably $9 million trying to get sober” after a substance abuse battle almost killed him.
The Friends actor revealed he had been in rehab 15 times trying to win his fight with his addiction to drinking and prescription drugs.
The 53-year-old is set to publish a tell-all memoir Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing where he lifts the lid on his career, his addictions and his past relationships.
“I’ve probably spent $9 million or something trying to get sober,” the 53-year-old actor told The New York Times in an interview.
“I would fake back injuries. I would fake migraine headaches. I had eight doctors going at the same time,” Perry said.
“I would wake up and have to get 55 Vicodin that day, and figure out how to do it. When you’re a drug addict, it’s all math.
“I go to this place, and I need to take three. And then I go to this place, and I’m going to take five because I’m going to be there longer.”
Vicodin is a pain relief drug for moderate to severe pain.
He added: “It’s exhausting, but you have to do it or you get very, very sick. I wasn’t doing it to feel high or to feel good. I certainly wasn’t a partier; I just wanted to sit on my couch, take five Vicodin and watch a movie. That was heaven for me. It no longer is.”
The TV star has also sat down with ABC News anchor Diane Sawyer for an interview, airing this Friday.
During his interview, Perry - best known for playing Chandler Bing on Friends - spoke about his decades long battle to rid himself of the disease of addiction.
In the trailer Perry revealed that co-star Jennifer Aniston confronted him about his drinking and revealed to the actor that she and the rest of the cast ”know you’re drinking.”
He also shared Aniston’s continued support during his recovery: “[Aniston] was the one that reached out the most,” he revealed. “I’m really grateful to her for that.”
He revealed he had to have 14 surgeries on his stomach and had to use a colostomy bag for nine months; he said his stomach has a number of scars from the multiple surgeries.
