Perry became addicted to
Vicodin after a jet-ski accident in 1997, and completed a 28-day rehab program that year. His weight fluctuated over the next few years, dropping to 145 pounds (66 kg) due to
pancreatitis. He entered rehab in February 2001 for an addiction to Vicodin,
methadone,
amphetamines, and alcohol.While filming
Serving Sara in Texas, he suffered severe stomach pains and checked into
Marina del Rey's
Daniel Freeman Hospital. Perry later estimated he had spent $9 million to get sober. He revealed that due to his addiction issues, he did not remember three years of the time he was acting on
Friends, between seasons three and six.
In 2011, Perry lobbied Congress as a celebrity spokesperson for the
National Association of Drug Court Professionals in support of funding for
drug courts. Perry received a Champion of Recovery award in May 2013 from the White House
Office of National Drug Control Policy for opening Perry House, a sober living home in his former mansion in
Malibu, California.Perry relocated the rehab center in 2015.