Matthew Perry Got Emotional Talking About Addiction & Shared What Still Makes Him Cry (VIDEO)
"It's not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn't."
Matthew Perry.
Matthew Perry recently opened up about his struggles with substance abuse and at one point teared up during an interview.
In late November, the Canadian actor chatted with CBC host Tom Power in Toronto where he answered candid questions about his journey with alcohol and drugs which he recounted in his recently released memoir.
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"I had a rule that I would never drink or do drugs while working because I had too much respect for the five people that I was working with," Perry said of his time on Friends. "So I was never wasted when I was working."
That being said, he would go to work "extremely hungover" to the point that he'd have to hide how much his hands were shaking.
"Years later, I was in a treatment center in a detox ward and I was coming off of many, many, many drugs," he continued. "And I picked up the Alcoholics Anonymous book for the first time in my life. And I read 'drinkers think their drinking to escape, but what they're really doing is trying to get over a disease they don't know they have.'"
That's when he had a realization.
"I went, 'That's me. I can't believe it. This book was written in 1939, and it's about me, it's about the guy who drove to the liquor store at a quarter to two so he could drink alone.'"
He also had another pivotal moment that he says ended up saving his life.
"I was placed in some kind of spiritual guy's office and we talked a little bit and as we were done talking, he turned me around and he said, 'Just remember it's not your fault,'" Perry recounted.
"I then knew that it wasn't my fault, that I wasn't weaker. It wasn't my will that was screwed up," he said.
"It was that I have this disease and I need to get help. And you know that always makes me cry. I hope I don't cry here," he said as he started to fight tears.
"It's not fair that I had to go through this disease while the other five didn't," he said. "They got everything that I got. But I had to fight this. I still have to fight this."
He ended his answer by giving a bit of hope out there to those who are struggling with substance abuse.
"So just to end this on a good note: there are people that will help you and get their help. It doesn't go away. It never goes away."
After a round of applause from the audience, someone shouted out "I love you!"
"I love you too," said Perry before making a joke: "I think I think it helps us not to know each other."
If you or someone you know is struggling with alcohol or substance use, help is available across the provinces and territories. If you need immediate assistance, please call 911 or go to your nearest hospital.
This article's cover image was used for illustrative purposes only.