Do you help the members of your family, if you can?

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We help the members of our family, whether it be filling up the gas tank, or buying some groceries. But after a while, you would figure that they would figure out the money and maybe cut back on things they don't need. We are starting to change our minds about helping people, as it seems it is the same family members and for the same reasons. Take this as an example. My hubbies ex-wife whom has custody of the kids, has only worked maybe a total of 1 month since june. I don't know how she has managed to pay most of her bills, but she is constantly asking for help from us. She already recieves child support payments, and more from the father of one of her other children. She smokes cigarettes and runs everyone else on errands. She also goes out at least once a week to play pool at the bar. We do not give her cash, instead we put some gas in the tank, and buy some household items and groceries for her. But that is more for the kids than her. She has not held on to a job for more than a few weeks at a time, claiming something has come up and she can't make it to work. We feel that she is starting to take advantage of us, because she thinks we will always be able to help, until this last time. She needed money, and we just had to put a huge downpayment on a vehicle, had to do it. We had enough money set aside to pay our bills and buy a few groceries. She had the nerve to get mad at us because we couldn't help her. She has helped us in the past, babysitting, etc, but we have always paid her. Anyone else in this boat?