The benefits of friendship are supposed to be a two-way street.

All of us who have experienced the joys of having a good friend know exactly how great it is to know a nice person in the platonic sense; they are fun to hang out with, help you out when necessary, and generally enrich your life. The only catch is that you are usually expected to return some of that energy, but that shouldn’t be so difficult if you like them and value spending time with them.

Unfortunately, there are individuals out there who tend to see their friendships as a resource to mine as opposed to a mutual give and take. They will let the other person do the most while they reap the benefits and offer little in return. In most cases, it is only a matter of time before the giver starts to find this dynamic frustrating. 

Although cutting off a miserly, selfish friend may seem like the logical thing to do, we can get attached to people even when they aren’t very good for us. It can be natural to hesitate, even if it feels like the relationship is not bringing anything worthwhile and may even be quite draining.