My best friend, who is 16 years older than me and was originally my mom’s friend, helped me escape an abusive home, supported me through my nana’s serious illness, and was the only stable person in my life while I was living in a shelter. After my father, who struggles with addiction, encouraged harmful behavior that led to my own substance use and an accident that injured me, I confided in her, but because she is in recovery herself, she told me our friendship was “on pause” and largely cut contact. Since then, I have quit drinking and have been sober for almost a year, doing everything I can to show her how much she means to me and how committed I am to changing my life. Although she says we are still friends, she only reaches out about once a month with a brief message, and after nearly a year of distance, I feel like she wants nothing to do with me anymore and I don’t know whether I should keep holding on or try to move forward.