Some people just have addictive personalities and go all in on anything they do. I have a relative like that who while the smartest and most successful in my family spent age 15 to 33 heavily addicted to alcohol and narcotics. Hopefully your friend will realize what is going on and seek good help. I was just speaking to my relative yesterday and he was so excited that he celebrated his 18th birthday last week. He has not had a drink or drug in over 18 years now and for the first time in his adult life has spent more time clean and sober than not. Of course he has new addictions like writing, working, exercise, reading but those are healthy and more productive. He still meets with the same group of addicts he has for the last 18 years every Monday night to talk about their lives and keep each other on track. It never goes away and having support from others in the same boat can make all the difference in the world.
