"Use a best friend as survival medicine David Cox, raised in poverty with two addicted parents, credits one specific year in second grade — when he had a best friend named Shiloh — as one of the major turning points in his survival. He reflects that 'making a best friend when I'm at such a young and shapable age was one of the major things in my life to happen to me,' describing how shared joy, especially through video games, functioned as essential emotional medicine. Anyone navigating a difficult season should treat investing in one deep friendship as a concrete, non-negotiable priority rather than a luxury. Source: David Cox, Armchair Expert, David Cox Episode"