Im with you. Such people are often sensitive and unsolicited criticism is rarely constructive and brings no results. People without addictions must learn to cultivate empathy and treat addicts with understanding. And probably this is also easier said than done because usually the first reaction to the action of a person's addiction is negative. But still since those facing addiction may not fully grasp their situation, expecting them to respond positively to criticism is unrealistic.
Yeah, when it comes to helping someone through an addiction, whether gambling, drug or alcohol addiction, empathy and understanding is your greatest tool.
One needs to always understand that addiction isn't just a matter of weakness or some minor diseases that people understand easily, it's a very complex one, very complex that even the addicted person doesn't even understand the addiction or how to stop it.
Walking through an addiction is often pretty much one of the hardest thing anyone can do, at some point you may even get tired and frustrated with the outcome or the person's progress. Cos you may feel like the person isn't even listening to you or your advice.
But always remember that sometimes addiction can make a person display new characters that they didn't initially have at first, and mostly characters that are not always in their best interest and the most difficult aspect of it is that they don't even know how to quit it again.