Sounds like my daughter's addiction. Started with Oxycontin and now is heroin. Heroin is cheaper so it is a natural progression when oxy is too expensive or hard to get. I read in the newpaper recently that cocaine is becoming harder to get, but the dealers are making up for it with more heroin and meth. Opiate addiction is extremely hard to quit and your friend will most likely need professional help. He is using the xanax because heroin withdrawal causes a lot of anxiety. You can be a friend without being an enabler. Do not give him money or make excuses for him. Without help, he will most likely progress deeper and deeper into his addiction. Start isolating and losing the people that care about him. I pray your friend wants help but if he does not the best thing you can do for him and yourself is let him fall. Hugs, Marle