Dear Abby! Calls from a drunk friend are too difficult for work

DEAR ABBY! I have been friends with a couple for 30 years. Both are alcoholics. They work, work at farmers markets, are outgoing, own a home, and pay their bills. And yet, at least once, maybe twice a month, they are completely useless, and my wife calls me and tells me indistinctly. I suspect they get drunk even more often, but luckily I don’t get called every time they’re drunk.

I was in a terrible relationship where I drank too much to numb myself. Fortunately, I have been rid of such poisoning for years. But it’s getting harder and harder for me to cope with these drunken phone calls. I suspect I’m the only person my friend calls because she knows few people will understand her slurred babbling. I’m tired of these calls. How to distract them? — THE TIRED EAR IN ARIZONA

DEAR TIRED EAR: Put an end to these calls by being honest with your friend about the effect they are having on you. Do it while she’s sober. Tell her that you don’t want her to call you after she’s been drinking because her speech is so slurred that you can’t understand what she’s saying. Say that if it happens again, you’ll hang up, and if it does, move on. Let her calls go to voicemail. If you want to have any kind of relationship with this couple, only date them when they are (sufficiently) sober.

Abby’s Road was written by Abigail Van Buren, also known as Jeanne Phillips, and founded by her mother, Pauline Phillips. Contact Dear Abby at www.DearAbby.com or PO Box 69440, Los Angeles, CA 90069.