Welcome, MrBen. I wished I started down this path as young as you. It sounds like you are out of denial and on the road to recovery. . . . Regarding friends, it depends. If you have at least one you can confide in who will say, "Cool. I'll support you," then you might feel confident at the parties. If not, you may want to take a break from them for a while while you take care of yourself. It's hard for me to say.