The Advice Everyone Needs to Hear From Dear Prudence

This column is part of Advice Week, Slate’s celebration of all things advice. In this new Prudie feature, Jenée takes a commonly submitted question (like how to break up

with a friend) and gives you the script for making it happen. Dear Prudence is Slate’s advice column. Submit questions here. Readers of Dear Prudence or really, any

other advice column, will pick up on one clear pattern in the questions and responses: Many people write in about relationships that aren’t working and when they ask “Should we

break up?”, the answer is often yes. But here’s something people don’t write about as much: Whether to end a friendship. And how to do it. So, even though nobody asked, let

me say: Yes. If you’re struggling with a platonic relationship that is supposed to bring you joy and is instead bringing you stress and pain, or making you feel used or

inadequate, do what you would do to a boyfriend or girlfriend: say “I can’t do this anymore” and make a clean break. If you read this column, you know what I’m talking

about. There’s the friend who only talks about himself, and has for the past 15 years; the one who only gets in touch to push her latest pyramid scheme; or the friend who always

owes you money or steals your wine. (Yes, the wine-stealing really happened.)