Matthew Perry opens up about ‘public’ drug addiction which lasted for '30 years’

Actor Matthew Perry has opened about his ‘public’ battle against drug addiction that lasted for three decades.

Speaking out in support of substance abuse treatment centres, the former Friends star has given a candid interview about his own struggle to stay sobre.

In a video for The Hollywood Reporter, released on his 46th birthday, Perry said: “I’m a pretty private person, but I was on a TV show that 30 million people were watching.

“So people knew. It was so public what was happening to me.”

Perry, who has had two stints in rehab, added: “You can’t have a drug problem for 30 years and then expect to have it solved in 28 days.”

Discussing treatment centre Phoenix House in California, the actor said: “I was very moved by the hope that I saw there, which is what this is all about. Getting sober is a really hard thing to do.”

The star went on to admit that being famous gave him a platform to be able to help those who are in the same situation that he was once in.

Perry said: “The best thing about me is that an alcoholic can come up to me and say ‘can you help me?’ and I can say ‘yes I can’.

“The fact that I’m on TV makes people listen a little bit more, and I take advantage of that.”

The actor had his first stint in rehab in 1997 after developing an addiction to Vicodin, re-entering in 2001.