[Zedsdead]

I have had a close friend for 6 years now. We met at work, at the time we were both in a bad situation and found comfort in each other especially as we both understood the emotions of the situation.
Soon after, I found my way out of the bad situation and the job and moved on with my life. She was stuck behind, so I continued to try to help her.
The majority of our friendship she has needed help of some sort. Money, kids, babysitters, rides and so on.
I didn't mind helping her out and have done up until now.

It's come to my attention, as I have been constantly growing and learning to progress in life and better myself. She continues to make horrible choices one after another. She is older than me, she doesn't have a driving license, a job, she constantly complains about money and how nobody helps her, but when she receives her assistance she spends it all on herself and other unneeded items and outings.
Her children are poorly behaved and one of them suffers ptsd from his father's behaviour. She talks to them in a horrible manner, swearing, being impolite and so on.
It's to the point I feel uncomfortable when talking to her. The latest situation is she is dating a married man with kids.

I told her how i feel and she explained that she can't help it and he makes her happy.

Now, I may sound judgemental, but shouldn't we at some point grow up? I'm all for understanding that people go through hard times.. but what does it say about a person if those hard times just continue? She shows no sign of wanting to better herself, i love her as a friend but it's almost draining to me as I naturally like to help people.

Iv also been reading that your surrounding relationships can affect your own success and progress. Do you believe this is true?
Or is it important to continue to show empathy and help these sorts of people?

Iv avoided her lately because all she talks about is her new love interest.. and i cant help but feel terrible for his family back home. Iv just lost a whole lot of respect for my friend.. if there was ever something I loved about her, it was her big heart. This kind of contradicts that

[Open Eyes]

You have grown and matured and your friend has not. Sometimes people just don't grow and become dependent on others to do "for" them. It's ok if you choose to distance and move on, especially if this friend is using you too much for a baby sitter or hand outs. Yes, a person can most definitely outgrow friends.