Your friend might/mightn't be correct, Bitcoin is a currency that can appreciate quite well in the long term, and for individuals who prolly bought at the right time and hold'd it, they would definitely make great ROI. But Bitcoin isn't actually a step to wealth, to be wealthy requires quite a lot of personal sacrifices and investments, Bitcoin could well be one of such investments, but associating Bitcoin with becoming wealthy is wrong, because sooner rather than later you'd turn into one get rich quick investor and start making mistakes that will lead to doom.