Hi, I joined this group a while ago, but this is my first post.
I can really identify with you. I'm 23/m and I have a very similar
situation. Many times I've gone home by myself when I'm at a pub.

Being shy sucks! I've had low self-esteem so I was basically going
into conversations thinking I was boring and people wouldn't like me.
I felt like a real loser, and got pretty lonely.

I recently got a book out of the library titled "Feel the Fear and do
it anyway". It was an interesting book. Basically it said that
underneath all our fears is the fear the we won't be able to handle
anything, so in my case I feared that I couldn't handle getting
rejected. It certainly gave me something to think about.

I'm sure that being sociable is something we can develop. I guess
some people are naturals, like those who are naturally funny or great
thinkers. I'm working on getting back into the world, and I take
small, positive steps every day. Like leaving my watch at home and
asking people for the time. Of course I need to be realistic; not
everyone is going to like me.

Does anyone have any other ideas?