Have you ever had that one person in your life that you knew was bad for you, but you just can’t manage to say goodbye? Well, If you are anything like me, you have sadly faced this problem one or two times in your life.

Some friends have this undeniable, wicked appeal about them.  The appeal is a toxic, addictive poison that ultimately covers the truth of matter; we are afraid to make a change in the relationship.

The worst part of these “toxic relationships” is the fact that it’s no one’s fault. It’s merely the combination of you and this other person’s attitudes that might make for a good time, but is overall more trouble than it’s worth.

Having fun on the weekends, or any time you hangout, but as soon as you are alone, you feel like crap. Sometimes you don’t even know why you feel like this, and after a while of intense soul-searching, you then eventually come up with the conclusion that your “oh-so-awesome” friendship is the cause of the damper that was put on your mood.

In these situations, you have three options:

First, you could not say anything at all, and continue on the venomous relationship vivaciously. Although this might sound like a good approach for some because the short-term effects might seem entrancing with all of the fun and exciting memories that would be made, the long term effects are a lot more crucial to focus on if this is a friendship you are planning on keeping.

The second option is to just end the friendship completely. Although this might seem extreme, this method is a good one to use if a relationship has progressed far enough, that saving it isn’t even an option. Just like quitting cold-turkey is hard for any addicting habit, it’s difficult to cut out a friend as well. Taking someone out of your life when they had such an enormous impact can be quite difficult. Be sure to know that this is not the step that should be taken for an act of punishment towards the other friend, but rather because it is the right thing to do.

The third option (and the most advised choice) is to talk to your friend and try to work things out. There’s nothing wrong with sitting down with this individual and having a conversation about improving the current status on your friendship, and if he/she is a true friend, they will be willing to make a change with you.

With saying all of this, even though another individual may not be the best long-term friend to keep by your side doesn’t mean that you can still not ever hang out with them. Just reassess and know your boundaries and what you are getting yourself into before committing to anything.