How do you socialise without drinking or sport?

[Dryad]

I live out in the sticks and find it really hard to meet anyone. When I was in college it was better, I got very lucky and a guy noticed I was not fitting in and pretty much forced me too. He introduced me to his friends and it got me out of my flat to hang out.
Now I live with my family and run a business with my mother. I do not drink, smoke or do drugs so my options are fairly limited. I do not like pubs as I get extremely self concious and if everyone is drinking... well you feel like the odd one out. I am fat so sport is really not my thing, plus even when I was a kid and wanted to join it was hard because I did not grow up here. Everyone knew each other or was related so I did not fit in.
I enjoy reading, music (not concerts), gamings on my PC (am a hard core gamer), painting some days and drawing. However my main thing is photography, tis what I went to college for. However the only place I can get in a group is with the Active Retirement group! I am only 22 lol so I don't think that would work so well. I always hang out with older people but I want to meet others my own age. Kinda sad I look forward to retirement before I can start getting out! I do not drive either and there is only one rural transport bus that goes past.
I am trapped in a cycle of not finding anything interesting, everyone usually being a lot older and then anything that is fun I cannot get to.

Anyone got any ideas?

 

[Ms Cloud]

( deleted )

 

[coyote]

you could join a church - they usually have social gatherings and stuff

 

[Kiwong]

Camera clubs, art groups, exercise groups, hiking groups.

It's a shame that you live out in the sticks, because there are plenty of groups where drinking is not a requirement.

You sure there anything you can get involved with locally? Can you learn to drive?

 

[Dryad]

you could join a church - they usually have social gatherings and stuff

I have no belief in any God.

Camera clubs, art groups, exercise groups, hiking groups.

It's a shame that you live out in the sticks, because there are plenty of groups where drinking is not a requirement.

You sure there anything you can get involved with locally? Can you learn to drive?

The only groups around here are for the actively retired or there is another group but my sister goes to it, it is specifically for people with special needs. I run a B&B so I know all the activities in the area, which there are none. There are more in the bigger towns but nothing around here. I asked the Home Focus team who are trained people who come to my home to allow me to have some social interaction. They do not know of any groups for my age group either.
I look on notice boards in the shop, library and community areas but there is no groups. I found photography days but you have to pay like €200!

I am unable to drive due to medication

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

I know that in Canada- even the very rural areas; there are websites online that are designed specifically for starting clubs in your area.
Perhaps if there's something you *are* interested in, you could check to see if there are any clubs that you can join to get to know people online and off?

 

[Rufus]

Volunteer at your nearest dog shelter a couple of days a week?

If you definitely have no interest in sport then you'll have to find some way of getting into the slightly bigger towns and finding something to do.

 

[Ms Cloud]

I know that in Canada- even the very rural areas; there are websites online that are designed specifically for starting clubs in your area.

Really? That's an interesting idea. Weirdy, if you have a particular website in mind, could you send me the link? (I live in rural Quebec.)

 

[coyote]

do you have a bicycle?

 

[WeirdyMcGee]

Here's one: Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup

 

[Dryad]

I know that in Canada- even the very rural areas; there are websites online that are designed specifically for starting clubs in your area.
Perhaps if there's something you *are* interested in, you could check to see if there are any clubs that you can join to get to know people online and off?

Well technically my area does not have any internet. I have the net through using a beacon on the side of my home and it skips a signal off 3 mountain tops.
I know well honestly pretty much everyone in the area due to my father being a fisherman. However this area is so rural that most people my age leave to find jobs and college etc. I did college and am now running a business, the place may be rural but that is where people want to stay on their holidays lol

There is a site for my town but it is purely for tourism and even then there are no actual activities. I mean there is a cheese place, amazing restaurants, a pony trekking place, then you have the countless places to walk. However there is no actual activity.

Volunteer at your nearest dog shelter a couple of days a week?

If you definitely have no interest in sport then you'll have to find some way of getting into the slightly bigger towns and finding something to do.

There is no dog shelters around here, plus how would I meet people? I have my own animals and I run a business so the times they would want me would probably be between 9-5. I did find one shelter but it is 40miles away

I guess there really is not much I can do, if there is literally nothing here then I just have to deal with it.

Plus of course there is the fact that when I was in college there were groups but I was too scared to join them on my own

 

[Rufus]

I guess there really is not much I can do, if there is literally nothing here then I just have to deal with it.

If it's any help, I live in a rural area and that was my conclusion as well.

When I finish my degree I'm outta here. Do you have ambitions to move somewhere else eventually?

 

[Pookah]

Here's one: Do something, Learn something, Share something, Change something - Meetup

I met someone through there outside of the meetup aspect, they just out of the blue emailed and started up conversation. Didn't go anywhere though.

I have a few groups I'm in on there but have yet to work up the courage/motivation to go since most of them are in Philadelphia which is about 45 min away. I'd have to figure out a train or something, I can't drive in a city lol.

Socializing a bit harder if you are from a rural area.

 

[Silatuyok]

Are there any other gamers in the area? My ex wasn't really the social type, but he was a tabletop mini gamer (or something like that), and I always envied the close-knit little group that would gather at our apartment every Saturday and drink Mt. Dew and play Warhammer until the wee hours. It was so annoying to me, but he really enjoyed it. It might be worth starting up a group of gamers if there are other interested people around.

 

[Pookah]

Are there any other gamers in the area? My ex wasn't really the social type, but he was a tabletop mini gamer (or something like that), and I always envied the close-knit little group that would gather at our apartment every Saturday and drink Mt. Dew and play Warhammer until the wee hours. It was so annoying to me, but he really enjoyed it. It might be worth starting up a group of gamers if there are other interested people around.

A lot of my socializing has been through gaming.

 

[Dryad]

Are there any other gamers in the area? My ex wasn't really the social type, but he was a tabletop mini gamer (or something like that), and I always envied the close-knit little group that would gather at our apartment every Saturday and drink Mt. Dew and play Warhammer until the wee hours. It was so annoying to me, but he really enjoyed it. It might be worth starting up a group of gamers if there are other interested people around.

That is what I would adore doing, I would love to meet gamers but the ones around here are into Need For Speed. Not say an MMORPG or anything like board games. I used to play Magic The Gathering online but cannot find anyone in my area. I tried to do so when I was going to school here but people said it was a childs game and I am a baby... So ya lol

 

[MollyBeGood]

One of my guilty pleasures is cursing-i really like to be able to let it flow...

 

[Dryad]

One of my guilty pleasures is cursing-i really like to be able to let it flow...

Sorry I do not understand what this has to do with my thread...?

 

[Feathers]

I think she's in a rural area like I am...

I've joined a very COOL literary club (first I had misconceptions/prejudice about older members being 'oldfashioned' or 'boring' or bad poetry etc. but they're really very cool and very lovely, some younger people there too... )

Where I live there's also a very active beekeeping club (mostly older men but they ADORE newcomers, especially young 'uns!), fruit-tree-growing club (with classes/lectures and such, some info on eco stuff too), farmer girls have socializings/trips etc too (took me a decade to find out about this one!), farmers have classes and events too... There's a charity group, some exercise/gym opportunities... There's a mix of older and younger people in most of these, but so far where I went people have been really lovely...

Younger people in some villages have drama/theatre group that studies a play through a winter and then performs it... There's the marching band and such too, some people may form a (rock and/or polka) band... (Sadly, I'm not kidding about that one, lol!)

There are also boy scouts/girl scouts, some adults there too.. And some church groups/events/classes... Church choir lol.. Library/museum events... Some classes...

What is your biz? Maybe there are any events where you could meet people who also do that/interested in that?

 

[Dryad]

I think she's in a rural area like I am...

I've joined a very COOL literary club (first I had misconceptions/prejudice about older members being 'oldfashioned' or 'boring' or bad poetry etc. but they're really very cool and very lovely, some younger people there too... )

Where I live there's also a very active beekeeping club (mostly older men but they ADORE newcomers, especially young 'uns!), fruit-tree-growing club (with classes/lectures and such, some info on eco stuff too), farmer girls have socializings/trips etc too (took me a decade to find out about this one!), farmers have classes and events too... There's a charity group, some exercise/gym opportunities... There's a mix of older and younger people in most of these, but so far where I went people have been really lovely...

Younger people in some villages have drama/theatre group that studies a play through a winter and then performs it... There's the marching band and such too, some people may form a (rock and/or polka) band... (Sadly, I'm not kidding about that one, lol!)

There are also boy scouts/girl scouts, some adults there too.. And some church groups/events/classes... Church choir lol.. Library/museum events... Some classes...

What is your biz? Maybe there are any events where you could meet people who also do that/interested in that?

Well take a look at my last post about what happened this evening. I tried to join the darts team but they said it is for locals only... I live 1min from the village, I have lived here 12 years.
I don't mind older people and actually I rather enjoy classical music and especially poets from the 1700's. However what I am finding is my immediate area is purely for the 99%'ers. I took everyone's advice and thought I would try and join a theatre group. They had a bus going up to the city to go watch a play and they had 15 seats left in this big bus. I asked if I could join and they said yep, then I got a text later saying they could not do the trip due to not enough people going. On the day they said they was going (and time) I kept an eye out... I watched them go right past my house...
I honestly want to cry my eyes out. 12 years living here and I do not have any friends. I have tried to talk to people but I get ignored. I really think I am going to give up on socialising for a few years. I just don't want to deal with all this.