Thank you very much Julia.
I hope she will understand
Dear Matilda,
I wish I had a magic set of words that I could give you that would explain to your friend that drinking alcohol to excess is dangerous in so many ways. If I had those words, so many people could have been saved, but alas, I do not.
Young people (and not so young) destroy their bodies, their souls, their lives and their families. Alcohol erodes a person's judgement, so that s/he can make mistakes that can not be undone.
But you also have to ask yourself, why is it that young people get drunk. Most of us have gotten drunk once. We didn't enjoy that experience, so we didn't repeat it again. We choose not to repeat it.
However there are people like Maya who choose to get drunk (or high) over and over again. They do that to get away from something - some anger, or pain, loss or sadness, that overwhelms them and they do not know how to deal with it in any other way.
So they pretend to be happy and party and drink (smoke or drug) themselves into oblivion that numbs them. It is called self-medication.
What you can do is to talk to her parents and tell them that she is endangering her life. Yes, it may stop you from being friends. But that may be OK, it is more important that you help her and is very important that her parents know that she needs help.
You are a very good person and you need people around you who do not drink and drive. That kind of behavior is self-destructive and you do not want to be part of that. I know that you want to help, but there is nothing you can tell her that will magically make her responsible for her actions. Only she herself can do that. Her family needs to help her. You need to make sure that they know that she is in trouble.
You are a good friend, now make sure you are good to yourself. Good luck and stay well.