Background
Published in 2022, “Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing” by Matthew Perry is a candid memoir, where Perry, best known as Chandler Bing on Friends, opens up about his decades-long battle with addiction, the impact it had on his career, and his personal life. Perry details his struggles with alcohol and substance abuse, offering a raw and honest account of his experiences, including multiple rehab stints and a near-death health crisis in 2019. The memoir also explores his childhood, relationships, and how fame both fueled and complicated his path to recovery.
My Thoughts
This book was painful going through, particularly when his addiction finally took him such a short time later. It hurts to see people we know and love in pain and while I never knew him, I certainly watched Friends and saw his movies. The story was certainly raw and honest even to the point of showing his selfish side. In short, his life was tragic and it will be hard to watch those shows and movies again knowing the back story.
I’ve seen what drugs and alcohol can do to people and yet they are still everywhere. Perry’s story is an outlier, but no one wants that to happen to anyone. I don’t know the answer, but I for one, intend to stay as far away from it as possible.
Recommendation
I don’t know if I can recommend this or not.