Man wants to prevent roommate hitting rock bottom
Dear Amy: I'm a man in my late-20s, living in New York City with a friend, who is the same age. We've been roommates for a couple of years. We knew each other previously from college.
My roommate, "Charles," was seeing a woman until about three weeks ago, when she broke things off. Despite this being a fairly brief relationship, Charles took it very hard and started drinking very heavily.
Time has passed since then, but his drinking habits continue.
Charles only started dating and drinking one or two years ago, so it feels a little like he's going through phases more typical of a college student, but his behavior now is amplified by his ability to afford liquor.
It's at the point where he starts drinking in the morning, and brings a bottle with him when we hang out in public.
Needless to say, it's embarrassing and probably illegal.
How can I approach him and let him know that this is a problem?
I see this affecting his health, his job and more selfishly, his rent. When Charles drinks, he gets positive reinforcement (he's more outgoing, talks to strangers, has a "good time"), meanwhile I'm feeling uncomfortable and ashamed of his behavior.
How do I help him avoid hitting rock bottom before he stops this self-destructive behavior?
-- Worried Roomie
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