Press Release

Dr. John P. Rosa, opioid crisis expert, author and dynamic speaker recognizes how incredibly fortunate the actor, Matthew Perry is to be alive to tell his tale in his book, Friends, Lovers, and the Terrible Big Thing. He expresses his hopes that Mr. Perry will do some greater good with his good fortune to help stem the opioid epidemic that has taken more than a million lives and almost took his life.

ROCKVILLE, MD. December 6, 2022: Dr. John Rosa, dynamic speaker, national opioid crises expert, and co-author of The Recipe for Success with Jack Canfield, posted a new article on his website entitled “Still Alive To Tell The Terrible Tale Of Opioid Addiction.” Dr. Rosa acknowledges that few people are as fortunate as Mr. Perry is to be alive to tell his tale.

Dr. Rosa writes, “Matthew Perry, the actor who is most notably recognized as the character Chandler Bing that he played in the long-running Friends sitcom, has published a book entitled, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing.” He reveals, “The “big terrible thing” in Mr. Perry’s life is his addiction to opioids.”

“Perry’s addiction to opioids began,” Dr. Rosa points out, “like most people’s do, after being injured in a jet ski accident after which he was prescribed Vicodin by his doctor. In fact,” he adds, “research shows that “people are 240% more likely to become persistent users of opioids after suffering an injury than those prescribed opioids who did not have an injury.”

Dr. Rosa continues to elaborate on Mr. Perry’s tale, writing, “According to an article published on the Alternative Pain Treatment website, ‘It didn’t take long for Perry to become addicted to Vicodin. Within 18 months, he was taking as many as 55 pills a day (the maximum daily dose is 6 pills). He went to great lengths to get opioids, faking injuries, and scheduling MRIs with different doctors. Perry became so desperate for drugs that he would go to real estate open houses so he could search through people’s medicine cabinets.’”

“As some experts point out in the same article,” Dr. Rosa notes, “opioid addiction can occur after just 5 days of regular use. So, as you can see, it doesn’t take long at all. When you consider that 2.5 million young adults reported misusing opioids in the past year, it’s easy to see how out of control opioids are.”

It is noted in the book that, “Perry’s many years of drug abuse took a terrible toll on his body. In 2018, Perry’s colon ruptured due to his overuse of OxyContin. He went into a coma for two weeks before spending the next five months in the hospital. Although given just a 2 percent chance of survival, Perry recovered. It is also noted that, “He has had 14 surgeries and used a colostomy bag for nearly a year. Perry has attended 6,000 AA meetings, gone to rehab 15 times, been in detox 65 times, and spent as much as $9 million to get sober.”

“While I wish him well, and based on his history,” Dr. Rosa states, “even though Perry has survived despite the odds being against him, there’s no assurances that he will stay clean. According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse, there is a 40 to 60 percent relapse rate among those who seek substance abuse treatment.”

Read the entire article at: link here

About John P. Rosa

Dr. John Rosa owns and supervises ABC Management, which is comprised of 21 integrative health clinics in Maryland and Virginia that sees over 60,000 patient visits per year. ABC Clinics combine medicine, chiropractic, physical therapy, acupuncture, and behavioral medicine to give a comprehensive multidisciplinary approach to pain syndromes and musculoskeletal disorders. Active in sports medicine with consulting/treating college, professional and Olympic athletes. Founder of Accessible Wellness Solutions – an onsite corporate wellness program offering consulting, lectures and management of onsite clinics.

Education:

• Northeast College of Health Sciences – DC 1992
• Rutgers University – BS 1989

Integrative Medicine Specialist:

• Current Board Chair to Maryland University of Integrative Health
• Trustee of Northeast College of Health Sciences for over 15 years serving final 3-year term as Chairman of the Board and given the honor or Board Emeritus post service.
• Consultant on Integrative Medicine to hospital cancer center
• Reduced opioid prescriptions up to 70% by integrating Chiropractic, physical therapy and behavioral medicine in a primary care setting
• Expert/Speaker – Educating medical community on the Integrative Medicine approach to treating pain
• Executive Medical Director – Nu-Life Solutions – maker of a neuromodulation devise to treat pain, anxiety, depression, sleeplessness and withdrawals form opioid addiction
• Medical Advisor – Outreach Recovery – a group of expert clinicians and health care professionals who specialize in substance abuse and drug addiction treatment, mental health counseling, and psychiatric management. Largest addiction treatment group in the Mid-Atlantic region
• Chief Science Officer – Get A-Head – a SaaS platform company that provides a telehealth application in training and delivery of mental health care while incorporating cutting-edge AI technologies

Opioid Crisis Expert:

• White House Surrogate/Consultant
• Law Enforcement Consultant (Homeland Security, CBP, DOJ, DEA, FDA, FBI and U.S. Postal)
• State, National, and International Consultant to Opioid Task Forces
• Corporate and professional organization consultant
• Currently working on PSA music and cinema projects with the Russo Brothers (directors/producers of the Marvel Avenger films)

Current Research and Publications:

• New-Life Solutions – Research medical director for “The H.O.P.E. Initiative for Addiction”
• Italian Chiropractic Association – Member of the Scientific Research Committee
• Publication:
  • Journal of Manipulative and Physiological Therapeutics
  • “Changes in Opioid Therapy Use by an Interprofessional Primary Care Team: A Descriptive Study of Opioid Prescription Data” by John Rosa, DC and Jeanmarie R. Burke, PhD
  • Published: April 17, 2021

Community Leadership:

• Founder of “Overdose Free America” a nonprofit which uses the power of celebrity and entertainment to bring the Opioid Crisis the visibility and support it deserves
• Lectures to community, corporations, universities and medical community on the opioid and mental health crises have reached over 100,000 people.
• Production of “BACKBONE” The story of proactive healthcare vs. reactive disease care that was focused on our active and retired military. A documentary by Wellbeing Films
• Co-Producer of “It’s Happening Right Here” The story of how sex trafficking has infiltrated our country with almost no public awareness
• Volunteer at Crossroads Freedom Center – a residential facility in Maryland to help overcome addiction
• Board member – #Same Here Global Mental Health Movement – 501c3 dedicated to delivering resources and programing on better ways to treat mental health other then medication