About 8 years ago I had some friends whoeither had severe mental health issues, were bullies or we had no common ground. I joined meetup groups to meet some like minded people. My old 'friends' slowly faded away. I made some fantastic friends over the years through meetups and we would do our own things away from the group and go on holiday etc. Several years on I feel I am in the same predicament. Most of my friends seemed to have gone in different directions in life, some are career focused, or bought a house so cannot afford to come out due to a mortgage or are married with a child and refuse to come out due to 'childcare' issues.
Whilst I understand it is part of life I don't understand why people just drop their friends because something else come along. Social media does not help as it seems other people are always out enjoying themselves but I know this is not the reality as I saw one guy who is a 'party animal' food shopping in the evening. The loneliness is starting toaffect my mental health. Should I try reconnecting with my old friends, or go back to meetup again or try something new? I know of other people who have bought houses and had families yet they still make time for their friends.