Best Friends with an Addict

My best friend is an alcoholic. She admits she has a drinking problem and has been dealing with addiction since 1999. She had a sober streak from 2006-2018 and started drinking again in the summer of 2018.

We became friends in 2019 so I’ve only known her while she has been drinking. We became really close and co-dependent on each other.

Over the last month, I started realizing the impact her drinking had on our relationship. That I would always come after her need to drink. That she would manipulate me and lie to me about her drinking.

She wants to be sober, but she refuses any type of help. She tells me she knows what she has to do and just needs to do it. She hasn’t been successful for more than a few days at a time. I’m not allowed to talk to her about her addiction or how it impacts me because any mention of alcohol is a trigger.

I love her. She’s my best friend and like my big sis. But I cannot continue to be treated this way. I want her to know I love her and always will care about her, but until she

accepts some form of treatment (AA, rehab, out patient, counseling, medication, etc) I cannot continue to enable her drinking and my hurt.