Matthew Perry: Friend defends ketamine use to treat addiction despite risks & actor’s tragic death

Asher Gottesman, founder of Transcend Recovery Community and a long-time advocate for addiction recovery, believes ketamine can be beneficial when used under strict clinical supervision. He said: "Ketamine for people with severe depression is extremely important. The problem is when they become the solution."

Matthew Perry, best known for his role as Chandler Bing on Friends, died in October 2023 from a fatal ketamine overdose after years of battling addiction. Gottesman, who knew Perry socially, pointed out that the actor’s fatal mistake was using the substance at home, rather than in a controlled setting.

"He ended up using the substance, that he was using for good, to harm himself because he ended up using it at home. And I think that was the major danger - had he just used it at a clinic," Gottesman explained.

Despite the dangers of misuse, Gottesman remains a proponent of ketamine when administered properly and calls for stricter regulations to prevent further tragedies. “Substances that can save lives can also kill lives,” he said. “If we set up a system under which we can protect those that are using it and only give it in appropriate environments, then we can prevent these tragedies.”

Gottesman, who has been sober since 2008, shifted from a successful career in real estate to focus on addiction recovery. His approach emphasises that recovery is a nonlinear process, stressing that drugs and alcohol are often a "short-term solution to a long-term problem."

He also believes addiction thrives in isolation and champions the role of community and 12-step programs in the recovery process. He said: "Community offers accountability... and reduces shame because you’re around other people that have gone through what you’ve gone through and understand you.”

In addition to his work with ketamine therapy, Gottesman also advocates for innovative treatments like transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) and is working on a book about loneliness, which he believes is closely tied to addiction.

He explained: “We continue to be lonely if we don’t begin to identify the underlying issues and find alternative ways to deal with them.”

According to the NHS, TMS is a non-invasive procedure that uses magnetic fields to stimulate specific areas of the brain. It is a safe and effective treatment option for various mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety, and certain neurological disorders.