<human>: Give me a shortened version of the text

I recently offered my help to a colleague of mine on how to help set himself up on a budget and attack his $150k in student loans (MFA Degree), $10k in CC debt and and $4k in IRS tax bill. (I am a former CPA and myself have managed to dig my way out of poor planning and PF decisions).

In short, he has made a series of PF mistakes when it comes to taxes and credit cards, and racked up a hefty loan going to grad school in a very expensive city.

Trouble is, his now stable paycheck can barely pay for his current living situation and minimum payments and his feeling of hopelessness is palpable. We meet monthly and I keep trying to show him that there is light at he end of the tunnel and it's not an oncoming train. He admittedly still continues to make spending mistakes but I think it's a "fuck it  it's so bad what's another $50 bar tab" approach. I admit that on his current salary and additional income, it will take awhile for him to get above water and he's not the most "long term focused" guy.

Next week I'm going to approach the idea of him cutting up his CC and perhaps doing a balance transfer to a 0% for 12 months offer.

What im really looking for here is how to keep him focused and motivated to stay the course. Like many of my friends, he gets intimidated by this large amount of money that he owes.
<bot>: Friend has too much debt and is losing hope that it will get better. Any wise words of advice or quick wins that will help keep him focused?