Dear Prudence: Life or the Party

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dear prudence Life or the Party Dear Prudence offers advice on a woman self-destructing with sex, drugs, and alcohol--in a live chat at Washingtonpost.com. By Emily Yoffe Posted Monday, Sept. 26, 2011, at 3:38 PM ET Emily Yoffe: Hello, everyone. I look forward to your questions. Q. Friend Addicted to Drugs, Sex, Partying: One of my close friends is, I fear, on the brink of killing herself. She and I are in the same graduate program and, since breaking up with her fiance about a year ago, she has steadily sunk deeper and deeper into cocaine and alcohol addictions. She has also been sleeping with dozens of random guys and partying almost nonstop. My friends and I tried to stage an intervention last winter, but she accused us of just trying to scare her. We thought things were improving in the spring, but I just learned (from another close friend who has become the only person in whom she confides) that, over the summer, her addictions and partying became worse. I suggested to the friend in whom she confides that we tell her parents everything that's happening. They seem to be clueless about it, and though she's 29 years old, it's clear that she needs to be saved from herself. My friend's response was, "I'm not sure about that, but I'll think about it." Should I be the one to tell her parents, even though I don't have direct knowledge of her recent actions? I'm not sure why my friend is hesitant about telling her parents. To continue reading, click here. Emily Yoffe is the author of What the Dog Did: Tales From a Formerly Reluctant Dog Owner. You can send your Dear Prudence questions for publication to prudence@slate.com. (Questions may be edited.) Join the Fray: our reader discussion forum What did you think of this article? POST A MESSAGE | READ MESSAGES Also In Slate Hitchens: We Know Pakistan's Intelligence Service Is Aiding Terrorists. What Can We Do About It? Husbands and Wives Should Spend More Time Apart Terra Nova: Humans Get a Fresh Start on Earth. Will Bratty Teens Ruin It All?	Advertisement
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