After couple’s heroin overdose, man says video was ‘the best thing’ that happened to him

He and his wife were seen around the world.

He was splayed out over a bus stop bench. Her nose was buried in the concrete sidewalk.

On Oct. 3, Ronald and Carla Hiers became the viral focus of the ongoing national heroin epidemic when someone recorded their drugged state over Facebook Live. Several others stood around watching.

For the first time since the incident, the Hiers’ told CNN last week that this was a wake-up call. Both are now seeking treatment for their heroin addictions.

“When I saw it on the news, I knew it was me,” Ronald Hiers told CNN.

The 61-year-old said he’d been addicted to heroin for 24 years, the same amount of time he’d been married to Carla.

As he wiped away tears, Ronald Hiers said the widespread sharing of the footage was humiliating and embarrassing.

“I can’t say enough how sorry I am,” he told CNN.

Ronald Hiers said the video was “the best thing that happened to me.”

“I feel like I’ve gotten my life back,” Ronald Hiers told WREG, the local Memphis TV station. “The addict has no life. It’s get drugs, get high.”

Ronald and Carla Hiers were given scholarships by a rehabilitation center to seek help.

This story was originally published December 6, 2016 at 2:13 PM with the headline "After couple’s heroin overdose, man says video was ‘the best thing’ that happened to him."