I've had a lot of serious problems in life. I've always sought to resolve them with an eye towards being able to stand on my own two feet.
The vast majority of people who have helped me, especially in a big way over some period of time, didn't really want me to ever succeed in standing on my own two feet. Most of them wanted to be needed and aimed for remaining my crutch. They were actively angry if I tried to actually stand on my own.
I've ended a lot of relationships based on their inability to see me as anything but a charity case and their open hostility at my desire to actually become a functional human being. Such people want to help, but only so much. If you want to grow beyond their vision of what you are capable of, there may be hell to pay. They may actively be vengeful and seek to keep you in your place.
Suffice it to say this is a thorny problem with many potential pitfalls from both sides and I blog in hopes of providing a path forward that involves fewer pitfalls because reading my blog doesn't create a one-on-one personal relationship, which is where either giving help or receiving it can turn into trouble you didn't anticipate.
I only wish I was better at monetizing my writing. That's a hard row to hoe these days and it means I'm still writing for a pittance, which still leaves me wondering at times if I'm still a fool and a chump, benefiting other people and getting far too little in return.
I mean, yeah, it sucks to have to do, but you're not wrong that some people will just bleed you dry if you let them. Some won't, though, and in my opinion they're worth taking the risk, because sometimes all someone needs really is just a hand up to where they can start climbing out of a hole on their own.