(I'm one of the 40-somethings)
I was extremely introverted (still am a bit) and took me a good while to get use to this forum and help from others. Sure has changed my life like no other site has. You can make progress, generally slow and steady, but you will see improvement if you work on those areas of your life.
I can tell you that hanging-out and drinking with my 'old friends' and then alone for a full decade got me (beneath) nowhere.
Sure hope you stick around, keep reading and posting, and quit the drink.