The headline to this post is a bit misleading in the interest of conserving space. Matthew Perry actually used a 30-year drug addiction as an example, instead of all drug addictions, but he may have meant all of them. A simpler way of saying this — it takes a long time to spiral into the depths of drug-plagued despair, and it takes more than four weeks of rehab to fix things. Perry features in the latest issue of Hollywood Reporter to talk about the Phoenix House rehab center (in LA) and how he feels the need to give back. He’s struggled for decades with sobriety, and we all watched him go through various phases during Friends‘ ten seasons. He did multiple rehab stints over the years before he really experienced a desire to fix himself.

Perry’s unspoken point is that people, often celebrities, use rehab as a quick bandaid. They also sometimes use a luxury rehab stint as a vacation and perhaps a PR tool. None of what Perry says here is too controversial or confrontational, but I wanted to talk about the enduring awesomeness of my favorite Friend:

It’s not often in Hollywood that you hear an actor say winning an award is “silly.” But that’s how Matthew Perry describes his recent honor from Phoenix House, a wide-reaching nonprofit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization. “I’m an award-winning alcoholic, I guess,” he says with laugh, sitting inside Phoenix House’s residential treatment center in Venice and recalling the June 15 gala where he was presented with the 2015 Phoenix Rising Award. “I shouldn’t be getting an award; Phoenix House should be getting an award. Getting sober is a really hard thing to do, and I saw hope on the faces of the kids.”

Recognizing that look of optimism is easy for Perry, whose face brightens when he talks about the lessons he’s learned from his own recovery, a years-long journey that has included several inpatient treatment stays and now a sober life focused on giving back. “I’ve had a lot of ups and downs in my life and a lot of wonderful accolades,” he says, “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.'”

Perry also is aware of the role his fame plays in shining a spotlight on the subject of recovery. “Everybody knew” of his substance abuse issues, he says, which made it easier to step out of the shadows and share his story in detail for a People magazine cover story in 2013. “When I was in big trouble, it was so public because I was on a TV show that 30 million people were watching,” says the actor. “The fact that I [am] on TV makes people listen a little bit more, so I take advantage of that from time to time.”

Reaching out one on one also has an impact. “When you’re having a bad day, the best thing you can do is call somebody and ask them how they’re doing,” Perry says, “and actually pay attention and listen to the answer to get out of your own head.”

[From Hollywood Reporter]

That last paragraph provides some excellent advice for anyone who’s experiencing troubles on any level. Shifting the focus away from one’s own troubles can be useful, and you may help someone else in the process. Perry manages not to sound like he’s trashing any other celebrities. He’s simply skeptical (by experience) about how serious drug addiction treatment is often treated like a fast food drive-thru lane. In this video, Perry also discusses the importance of treatment centers where the most powerful healing comes from two alcoholics speaking to one another. Perry also maintains a sober living center to help fellow addicts. See? He’s the best Friend.

Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet & WENN