I am encouraged that there are others who are suffering from the same thing as I am.

I am a early 30s female with a steady boyfriend of seven years who only has one close friend. You wouldn't normally conclude that I am AvPD but my problem is in making friends. Not in keeping a committed relationship going. My main issue has always been one-on-one versus group relations. I can talk all day long one-on-one with someone but put me in a room with random strangers and I feel paranoid and inferior. I rarely will go up to people in a group or join group conversation. After several failed attempts to meet friends through facebook and in real life, I have started concluding that there must be something I am giving off that is driving people away. I have always assumed that if no one bothers to speak to you (even if you try to speak to them) it must mean they have no interest in you.

I have become somewhat antsy, depressed, angry and withdrawn in regards to this. My whole life now revolves around my boyfriend and I (he has more friends than me but only talks to them online because they live in other cities) and I often think I am dragging him down with me as I go on this tirade against humanity as it were, just because I perceive that no one give's two rat butt's about me or what I would have to say.

Things that complicate matters are: I don't drive and I don't like talking on the phone.

I find that if I can get someone close to me, I would be their very best friend. I do consider friendship sort of a sacred thing like a love relationship because when I have a good friend, I feel I should be able to tell them everything and trust them and vice versa but I feel such closeness is all but lacking in society.

Any advice on keeping sane and not becoming a lonely widow in a house full of cats?