Seeing myself in someone else

I talked to one of my friends from K. Falls today. Although it was a brief conversation it really hit home. She told me of another night of drinking till the blackout point. It worried me. This is a history in her life, and she knows it is a problem. She knows she should quit drinking. And while I do back her up in this recognizance, I feel terribly hypocritical in doing so. I mean, really, how long did it take ME to "quit drinking" when I was lost in the spiral of alcoholism? For about one whole year, and then most of another year, my life was a horrible mess. Involved with a dick-head boyfriend, who was emotionally abusive when drunk (and when sober really)... working full time (so I could support his & my alcoholic habits) at a fast-food job.... going to school taking 12-13 credits all at the same time. 6 out 7 nights were spent screaming at each other in drunken rages, followed by 3 hours of sleep or less, followed by 5 hours of school, followed by 8-9 hours of work at Subway, followed by going to the bar to do it all again. It truly IS a spiral. While I still have to remind myself, 4 years after this experience, to "keep an eye on my drinking habit" I could only see myself in my friend while she told me of her experiences while drunk. I never personally "blacked out" from alcohol, but definitely there have been near-misses and a bunch of fuzzy memories which were filled in by my friends the next day. My drinking habit never did me any good at the time, yet I wasn't able to stop. I wasn't able to fully quit the shitty relationship until 2 years after the hardest part as well. Alcohol was the fuel to my fire. Finally, in 2008, I got a DUI. It was a horrendous experience, and while I got LUCKY that no one got hurt due to my stupid actions, it taught me a lesson to take a step back when I'm drinking and to learn my "limit".... now I know everyone has to learn limits for themselves, and that is what TERRIFIES me about my friend. She also has one DUI under her belt. She has been put in really shitty situations due to her OWN faults while drinking. So what can I do? What could I do while I was living there? NOTHING. I can only watch & hope she learns for herself before it's too late to get out, or before something horrible truly does happen. It makes me sick because I don't want her to have to live a life similar to how horrible mine was. And while she isn't involved with a shitty boyfriend, obviously there is something driving her to drink so much. I could blame the misery of her town. K. Falls is truly a horrible soul sucking place for some of us. (myself included) But that's not the WHOLE reason. I worry for her. I worry for myself. I worry for everyone out there who feels such desperation that the only thing we can do is "drink it away until we can't feel".... she knows the problem. She KNOWS there is a solution. I hope she can figure it out & follow through. I hope that in the meantime, I can learn from MY OWN lessons and not repeat the past.