People keep telling me I need to get out and network because my position might not be funded next year. So it could be helpful to make some contacts. There are plenty of meet and greets with other techies, but nearly all of them involve alcohol. I would not have to drink, of course. But when you throw in my social awkwardness it would be a really dangerous situation. Most of the events without alcohol are presentations without much chance for socializing (which i suck at anyway). The risk of blowing my sobriety and coming away with no good contacts seems really high. It is not a done deal that I will be out of work and I do have some recruiter contacts.