Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes
Friendship IRL: Real Talk About Friendship, Community, and What It Actually Takes
Alex Alexander
Why We Need to Stop Using the Word “Toxic” in Regards to Friendship
26 minutes Posted Apr 30, 2026 at 11:00 am.
0:00
26:16
Download MP3
Show notes
Bad vibes. Frenemy. Fake friend. Toxic friendship. We have an entire vocabulary for when friendships aren’t working, but I think certain words and phrases often oversimplify friendship issues – and ultimately end up costing us something very real. In this episode, I talk in particular about the word toxic: its history, how it’s morphed in modern friendship culture, and questions to ask yourself to identify issues in friendships instead of just labeling somebody toxic. Let me be clear: t...