ST PAUL, Minn. — To many, Matthew Perry will be remembered as a friend, but to those who shared the actor's struggle with addiction, he will be remembered as so much more.
"He was an inspiration to me, and to thousands and thousands of people who are walking this walk a day at a time." said William C Moyers, vice president of public affairs for the Hazelden Betty Ford Foundation.
Like Perry, Moyers said he spent years struggling with alcohol and crack cocaine addictions before coming to Minnesota in 1989 and seeking help through Hazelden Betty Ford.
"I knew Matthew a long time ago when he was beginning his journey and I was on my journey from addiction to recovery," Moyers said. "I would run into him when I'd be out on the West Coast in recovery meetings. We know that addiction is an illness of isolation and the antidote to it is community. You've got to hang out with fellow travelers, and that's how I crossed paths with him."
Though Perry achieved incredible success and stardom in those years, he would later admit he was constantly seeking help for addiction. But through it all, Moyers said Perry was also known as someone who would help others find help.
"He was so open and honest and authentic about all of his struggles," Moyers said. "You often say, you've got to let the alcoholic or the addict hit bottom, but Matthew had hit bottom many times and he kept getting up. Really, he was the epitome of addiction in so many ways, but he was also a beacon of hope... and help."
Moyers says that Matthew Perry's memoir, "Friends, Lovers and the Big Terrible Thing," is a shining example of that hope. Shortly after it was released last year, Moyers, who also has a best-selling book about his own struggles with addiction, said Perry reached out for a final time.
"Let me just say that I reassured him that it was OK," Moyers said, growing emotional as he spoke of the conversation. "It's hard when somebody with this illness doesn't make it."
Though he said he is hopeful Perry died sober, Moyers says a cause of death won't do anything to change the cause he worked so hard to champion.
"What he did is plant his own spirit in the hearts and the souls of anyone he crossed a path with, whether it was me or a complete stranger," he said. "So he lives on. Matthew Perry's spirit lives in the spirit of those who continue to walk our walk. His legacy will be that you've got to keep trying. You've got to keep trying."
Moyers said all the attention — and uncertainty — around Matthew Perry's death has been unsettling for himself and others who strive every day to maintain their recovery. That's why he suggests checking in with friends or loved ones on a similar path right now, whether they've been sober 30 days or 30 years.
"We talk about addiction as being cunning, baffling and powerful," Moyers said. "It's also patient. Addiction can wait for moments like this when there's a lot of sort of public attention around a celebrity and so it's a good time for families to check in. It's also a good time for recovering people like me to check in with each other and to check in with ourselves, to make sure that we do what we need to do to keep our illness at bay."
If you or someone you know is struggling with substance use or a mental health crisis, there's help available from these resources:
- Addiction experts with Hazeldon Betty Ford Foundation are available 24 hours a day by calling 888-484-6672. You can also view treatment options on its website.
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration is available 24/7, 365 days a year, by calling 800-662-4357. You can also visit the organization's website.
- To locate a treatment facility near you, visit FindTreatment.gov.
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