e-mail has been my phone savior. I used to be a basket case in a group, but i had a T who would invite me to every family function she had, in an effort to get me thru this. (And, too, because I think she liked my company.) At first, I was a total wreck, but the more i got to know her extended family, the more relaxed i became with them.

This brings me to bp group therapy or a free bp support group. You'll start out a basket case, but I believe the longer you are with the same group, the easier it will become. And in general, this will help with groups that you don't know, because I am now not a major wreck on my own in a group. Not happy, but not a wreck. I can function, as long as you don't ask me to get up and speak to the whole group. That one's a whole different nightmare.