Matthew Perry © Getty/Denise Truscello
By Raye Mociou
When Matthew Perry passed in 2023, the world lost a friend. But Caitlin Morrison, founder of The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada, lost a brother.
“When Matthew died, the first feeling was devastation somewhat numbed by shock,” she said. “The next was a need to do something aside from sitting in grief.”
Substance abuse is pervasive, impacting every aspect of a person’s life, as well as those around them. As Chandler Bing, Perry brought joy and laughter to millions of viewers, but off-screen, his painful cycle of addiction barred him from his own joy.
The Friends star had long used his platform to advocate for mental health support, drawing on his personal struggles with addiction. In his memoir, Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing, Perry wrote that his battle with addiction started in his early teens and followed him throughout his life and career.
Perry estimated that he had spent $9 million on his addiction, including 14 stomach surgeries, 15 stays in rehab, and therapy twice a week for 30 years and had attended approximately 6,000 Alcoholics Anonymous meetings. But even in the darkest times, Perry believed in the power of recovery, using his platform as a guiding light for others facing similar struggles. That, among many other bright points, is the legacy that Perry left behind—and what his sister is working to continue through the launch of the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada.
Building On His Legacy
Although she has over 20 years in non-profit leadership across equity, mental health, and healthcare organizations, Morrison still thinks of herself as Perry’s kid sister—an ambitious girl who believed (and still believes) that her brother was the coolest person ever.
“I had long admired my brother’s decision to find a way to turn his struggle into action that helped others,” Morrison shared. “I thought maybe I could do the same with the pain I was feeling: use it to find ways to save others from that kind of pain. That thought continued to run through my head for a couple of months. I talked about it with my family and Matthew’s friends. It turned out that many of them had been feeling the same urgent need for action. We made the easy decision to take action together. Our mission and programs took shape as we developed a deeper understanding of the recovery landscape in Canada.”
Substance abuse remains a significant public health concern in Canada, affecting individuals, families, and communities nationwide. The statistics are alarming: Since 2016, opioid-related overdoses have claimed over 44,000 lives, with powerful substances like fentanyl fuelling the tragedy. Alcohol and cannabis use is also on the rise, especially among young people. While Canada is making strides in harm reduction and financial support, there’s a major gap between treatment and sustainable recovery.
“Matthew always said that you haven’t failed until you stop trying. That’s why we focus on supporting individuals in their first year of recovery—a critical time when the path is most precarious,” Morrison explained. “Through housing support, access to mental health care, career training, and other resources, we work to remove the obstacles that stand in the way of that.”
The group moved quickly, leaning on one another and on the wisdom of addiction specialists, recovery leaders, and mental health advocates to design an organization that would honour Matthew’s commitment to helping others find their way out of addiction.
“It hasn’t been easy to build an organization, but everyone involved has remained dedicated and driven. I am immensely grateful to all of them,” Morrison explained. “In addition to their efforts, with every step along the way, I have felt like Matthew’s hand is guiding us…sending us the people whose expertise we need right when we need it. In a way, this has turned the pain of loss into a flame of hope.”
The Road to Recovery
The road to recovery is difficult and fraught with challenges. Housing security, job loss, and comorbid conditions can stand in the way of long-term sobriety, making it all the more complicated for those who already have so much on their shoulders. Research shows that 85 per cent of people who completed a drug or alcohol treatment program relapse within a year of treatment.
“Think of the first year of recovery as running a marathon uphill,” Morrison explained. “It takes incredible endurance and focus. Without support, any challenge can feel like a reason to stop. We can’t remove all the inner battles people face, but we can work to flatten some of the hurdles along their path.”
By prioritizing practical needs like housing support, mental health care, career training, and peer support, the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada works to relieve the external pressures that often threaten sobriety.
“If someone is worried that they might not have a roof over their head the next time it rains, or if they lost a job and can’t find a new one, or if they can’t find support for mental health disorders, or if their stomach is rumbling; how can they be expected to devote all their attention to a program of recovery?” Morrison continued. “We want to help people conquer these concerns—help them feel safe in the knowledge that they can give recovery their full attention because they have help in making sure that all of those other concerns are managed.”
Addiction is far too powerful for anyone to defeat alone. But together, one day at a time, we can beat it down." —Matthew Perry
In addition to individual support, the organization works to advance education in the wider community by making information and research publicly available through direct communication, seminars, conferences, workshops, and online learning platforms. Addiction doesn’t just affect one person, so fostering a greater understanding of how substance abuse works can make all the difference when faced with a loved one in need.
On top of that, they collaborate with community organizations to ensure proven treatments are accessible and advocate for policies that address addiction as a public health issue, not a personal failure.
“I think Matthew would have wanted people to understand that addiction doesn’t have to be kept quiet,” said Morrison. “It is nothing to be ashamed of. It is a disease, and while there is no cure, the best treatment is honesty, understanding, and a willingness to help whenever the call to help comes.
“He would want people who live with substance use disorder to know that he applauds every time they raise their hand and say, ‘I need help,’ and he would want them to know that it’s okay to not be perfect. Just keep speaking up, keep trying, and don’t judge yourself too harshly, but laugh at yourself freely.”
The Power of Hope
Every day, researchers in Canada work to better understand addiction and find new medical and behavioural treatments that have the potential to improve millions of lives.
“It is an exciting time for addiction research,” said Morrison. “Advances in science and technology have given researchers a greater understanding of the human brain than ever before. Because of this, I both hope and believe that research will unlock a cure for substance use disorder in my lifetime.”
The Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada is committed to fuelling this momentum by providing essential funding for promising research, especially in areas where government or institutional grants may be hard to secure.
“We focus on supporting researchers at critical early stages—those developing new, often unconventional methodologies, like AI technology or organ-on-a-chip models, which could transform how we treat addiction,” Morrison said. “Without financial support, these kinds of pioneering ideas can face delays or even die on the vine. Every delay in research represents a delay in new treatments that could be saving lives.”
Morrison explained that beyond the foundation’s program, she feels that there is an opportunity to become an amplifier for organizations, agencies, and experts who are already doing the work—they’re just missing the platform.
“Too often, promising research sits on a shelf, unused, even when it has the potential to help thousands,” Morrison continued. “We’re committed to bridging that gap by working with health ministries, treatment centres, and mental health organizations to encourage the adoption of effective, evidence-based treatments.”
There are many organizations across the country and beyond that work to address the intersecting crises of addiction and mental health issues, but few have the built-in platform that the Matthew Perry Foundation of Canada does.
“It is incredibly unusual for an organization in its infancy to have the power to capture attention,” said Morrison. “Because of Matthew and the love people have for him, we have that power. We want to use it to help elevate the many organizations that are doing great things. As a result, our approach to helping others is designed around the kind of help Matthew gave. Matthew believed in using his platform for good. So do we.”
Learn more and get involved at matthewperryfoundation.ca
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