Matthew Perry nearly DIED from opioid overuse and spent weeks in a coma
Daily MailIf you are in the UK, call FRANK 24 hours a day, seven days a week 0300 123 6600 If you or someone you know is struggling with substance abuse in the US, please contact the SAMHSA helpline at 1-800-662-HELP Friends star Matthew Perry has given his first tell-all interview in which he details how his drug and alcohol addictions secretly nearly cost him his life. Matthew Perry nearly DIED from opioid overuse and secretly spent weeks in a coma: Troubled Friends star admits he's had 14 stomach surgeries, used a colostomy bag for nine months and has been in rehab 15 times - as he lays his addiction issues bare '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. On the mend: Pictured a year after he had abdominal surgery to repair a gastrointestinal perforation which saw him nearly lose his life and having to use a colostomy bag for nine months From Friends superstar to a 30-year battle with addiction: Matthew's trials and tribulations 1982 - Matthew revealed he had his first taste of alcohol at the age of 13 1994 - After spending his post high school years appearing in a string of US sitcoms, Matthew, 24, lands the role of Chandler Bing in Friends, which becomes an instant success. Role: Matthew said the disease has got worse and worse and progressive and he's got older and noted his Friends cast mates 'were understanding, and they were patient' From finding fame to drug scandals as fans fear for his health: A look back at Matthew Perry's off-camera trials and tribulations as he emotionally reunites with his Friends co-stars in TV special He famously portrayed Chandler Bing in the classic sitcom Friends for a decade, bowing out from his beloved role when the show ended in 2004.