Over at the Psychology Today blogs, Irene S. Levine, author of Best Friends Forever: Surviving a Breakup With Your Best Friend, tackles the question of how to break up with a friend who always seems to need something.

Why do people sometimes put up with friends who constantly need support or praise or money or help moving? Levine has three theories:

1. They are people who like feeling needed - or once liked the feeling (even if they don't anymore)

2. They are people who feel like they aren't worthy of healthier, more balanced relationships

3. They are people who are stuck - either feeling angry or sorry for their needy friend - and feel unable to get out of it

So what are her five tips for ending that kind of draining friendship?

1. Change the nature of your friendship by learning to say "no" and setting boundaries (e.g. "Even though we are both single, I don't want to spend every Friday night together.")

2. Tell her that you have to tend to your own needs (or those of anyone else you can think of, including your grandmother in Toledo)

3. Slip away and gradually spend less time with her and add other less demanding friends to your inventory

4. Take a relationship sabbatical or hiatus from the friendship (You deserve a break for what you've endured!)

5. If it's that bad, simply cut loose and run!

Levine reminds readers that toxic relationships are "consistently negative and draining." Being with someone who constantly takes without giving back certainly fits that bill, and you'll likely never satisfy his or her needs.