Consider the following hypothetical situation. You know that your friend is an alcoholic, who frequently drinks away the family funds at the bars. The spouse of this friend asks for a loan of $1,500 to pay the monthly bills and put some food on the table. You know that this "loan" is actually giving the money away, as you have honored such requests in the past without ever having any of the money repaid. Should you provide the money, would you be acting as a sympathetic friend or an enabler? What factors would influence your answer, and who controls them? Where does normal caring end and "enabling" begin?