How do I (50/f) tell my longtime 20 plus years, friend (50/f) that I would like to back off from our friendship?

I have this friend who just can't get her life together. In all the years I have known her she can't keep a job or relationship. She almost always makes the wrong choices in everything that she does.

To be fair I believe this is partially due to mental health issues. I have been helping her and bailing her out for years and I am just tired of it.

Well the latest drama has kicked in and of course she now needs a place to stay, new job, rides everywhere, money.

We live in a big house, with no kids but we are by no means rich. And oftentimes helping her is a huge inconvenience on our part. My husband can't stand her for this reason. I'm realizing that she is never going to get better. She has family, therapists, other friends. I am always her go-to first.

I love her but I can't stand her sucking all my energy from my life. I also would feel like I'm kicking her when she is already down.

TL; DR I have a friend of over 20 yrs that drama is always happening to. I feel like it's never going to change and I want to distance myself from from the circus.

Submitted June 03, 2019 at 02:59PM by Seamusjamesl http://bit.ly/2Z2NPFy