Matthew Perry clarifies 'kicked out of therapy' tweet for fans

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By VT

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Fans were sent into a panic on Wednesday when Matthew Perry took to social media to share that he'd been asked to leave his therapy group.

As followers flooded his Twitter page with pleas for him to take care of himself, there were many questions in the air: namely, why was he thrown out, and was he going back to receive help?

In a post yesterday, the Friends star confirmed he was safe, claiming he had gone back to his sessions. "Easy guys, it was just one session. I’m back in therapy where I belong:)," he wrote.

The news calmed fans' worries and saw them turn to the comment section once again to send well wishes.

"Sending lots of love and good vibes all the way from Pakistan. Get back up on your feet or else I'll have to send in Janice with her irresistible laughter fits & "Oh my Goddd," wrote one follower.

Another added: "Hope your okay mate, your a legend and are so funny on friends, I’m on my second time re-watching all the series, best of luck in the future we’re all here if you need us :)".

The actor has been vocal in the past about his struggles with addiction. It first came to public attention in 1997 when he completed a 28-day program for a Vicodin addiction.

Matthew Perry
Credit: 1841

Following this stint, he gave his fans a scare by losing close to 20 pounds. After this weight loss, he was admitted to a hospital for two weeks with acute pancreatitis, a condition which is caused by alcohol and drug abuse.

In 2001, he was filming Serving Sara in Texas when he suffered severe stomach pains and flew to Los Angeles to check into Marina del Rey's Daniel Freeman Hospital. He entered rehab in February for addiction to Vicodin, methadone, amphetamines, and alcohol.

The 49-year-old joked in 2015 that he was an "award-winning alcoholic" after receiving an accolade from California-based rehabilitation organisation Phoenix House.

Perry's most recent known health struggle came in 2018 when he revealed he was hospitalised for three months after undergoing an emergency operation to fix a gastrointestinal perforation, which causes severe abdominal pain and tenderness and can be fatal.

FRIENDS, (back, l to r): Matt LeBlanc, Lisa Kudrow, David Schwimmer, Matthew Perry, (front, l to r): Courteney Cox, Jennifer Aniston, (Season 1), 1994-2004, © Warner Bros. / Courtesy: Everett Collection
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He has confessed in the past that he can't remember three years of filming hit show Friends due to the amounts of drugs he took and alcohol he drank.

When asked to name his least favourite episode of Friends by BBC Breakfast host Chris Evans in 2016, the 17 Again star replied: "I think the answer is I don't remember three years of it, so none of those. I was a little out of it at the time. Somewhere between seasons three and six."

Speaking out about his struggle with addiction, he also has stated he uses his experience to help others.

''I've had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades," he said. "But the best thing about me is that if an alcoholic comes up to me and says, 'Will you help me stop drinking?' I will say, 'Yes. I know how to do that.'"