Thanks everyone for the replies, I do appreciate every one of them.
That description of a social drinker seems at odd with your description of social anxiety, social isolation, and being trapped and shut-in your house. Sounds like you are drinking to cope. What's social in that?
The drinking alone is the problem, drinking in company down the pub is not the problem. The only reason I said that was born out of fear of giving-up the odd night out. I'm spending too much time in the house for my own good. It's not having people to meet-up with and being forced to stay-in due to having no choice that triggers the desire to drink (unless you consider going out alone a viable alternative choice).
The majority of conversations with fellow Surfers are just small talk , .. the waves , the weather , did you have a good session blah blah blah but occasionally there is a connection , loads of pricks out there too.
You're mostly alone out there which is the best part , getting back to yourself , a therapist once told me once you find yourself you wont be alone
Doing any activity like that is great, there's less pressure to be engaged in conversation all the time. Even if you do things like that and don't talk to anyone, it's still better than not being surrounded by people at all.
The worst part for me is the evenings. Sometimes the desire for alcohol can be greater when I've had a productive day, or when I've done something social, but the long, lonely evening engulfs me like a cloak. It can feel like an eternity. Maybe I should have titled the thread something like '
loneliness in the evenings' since that's what I was meaning to get at.