Growing up, you probably had That Friend (or, several of Those Friends) your parents warned you to stay away from. Reasons varied – they were wild, smoked, drank, used drugs, had no curfews, cussed, whatever – but Reasons were there and you were to Stay Away.

Maybe you listened, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you hung out with That Friend and life was fine, or maybe you ignored That Friend and, in retrospect, wish you hadn’t. Whatever the case, at the time, your parents felt they new what was best for you. Maybe now you’re a parent who feels the same way.

Apparently, the general public feels it knows what’s best, too, and has decided to take on some less caring, more snarky parental roles with Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan.

At the risk of sounding tabloidish (*cough*), Spears and Lohan were photographed together at the Grand Star Jazz Club a couple of weekends ago and, given the ladies’ history together and their own personal battles, the overall consensus is that nothing good can come of the rekindled friendship (BlackBook actually titled their article about the two “Britney Spears and Lindsay Lohan Make Poor Life Choice Together”).

The reality is that yes, sometimes two people with issues (mental illness, drug abuse – whatever those issues might be) don’t do so well hanging out together – even if both people seem to be on the mend.

(Spears seems to be in a pretty stable relationship with agent Jason Trawick and just racked up big at the Teen Choice Awards. Lohan, on the other hand, may or may not have been the target of an intervention but she DOES have a role in Robert Rodriquez’s upcoming Machete, so, yay.)

However, sometimes two people who’ve struggled with the same kinds of issues actually work quite well together. I know a handful of couples in which both people deal with mental health conditions and/or are recovering from addictions and the two people do it together, and do it well. I imagine understanding and even having experienced what the other person – the significant other or the spouse – has gone through and is going through gives a kind of support that people who haven’t experienced similar things can’t relate to.

Clearly, Spears and Lohan aren’t a couple – they’re two friends who used to party a lot together. Maybe a friendship wouldn’t be in the best interest of either, but then again, we can’t really predict the future.

For now, I’m hoping for the best.

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    Last reviewed: 12 Aug 2009