I am 24 and graduated college this year. Due to a number of things including bad decisions on where I went to college + socially isolating myself in the past + having to move back home with my Mom since COVID, I am extremely lonely. Some guys are OK being lonely because they turn out to be overweight guys who play video games and drink sodas in their parents' basement and/or just do drugs and accomplish nothing of value, but I know I can't let that happen to me. I am desperate to live a high-energy, active lifestyle full of social interaction. I project the image of a confident, dominant, cool guy (and I've been told I'm decently attractive...in the 6-8 range), so I've got that going for me. But I've always lacked a "bro" group and have always struggled making friends for whatever reason. Now living back in my hometown after being at college for 3 years, I am extremely socially isolated and drowning in daily depression and loneliness. I don't even have much motivation to search for careers anymore, because I feel like I need to fix the social life issue first to feel better about myself. I may join the military next year and use my degree with that (and to help pay off student debt) but until then I need more social interaction.

No matter what environment I put myself in, I seem to always be around weak guys who are on the path to exactly what I described above. Either druggies or just slobs who have nothing going for them and do not have any social life either. I currently work two jobs but one is just with my uncle's business (no social opportunities there trust me) and a food delivery job (this is decent because I know some people there and talk to them regularly, even though most of them are weak and not driven to do anything).

I used to play sports as a kid, but not anymore as an adult, so that sucks too. The only place I currently go where I see other truly alpha, cool guys is the gym. It's just Planet Fitness but everyone in the town goes there so yeah. The problem is, most of these other cool looking guys who I see there often are probably younger than me. Like in high school or early college. I'm 24 and out of college.

I am desperate to make new friends with truly alpha guys who I can hang out with and do things with, but I feel it would be weird to just walk up to a guy at the gym and beg to be friends. He's gonna think, "Um I'm a cool popular guy, senior in HS (or young college guy from a nearby college), already have a deep social group and a busy life, who is this 24 year old guy who I don't know asking to enter my social life". I would find that strange if I were him, too. But as I said, I'm desperate. I've seen some guys give me nods and stuff though at the gym before, so maybe I'm overthinking this? Maybe it would be fine to start a conversation with one of them? If so, can you give me some pointers on how to do that without being pathetic and begging for a friend or coming across as desperate, even though I am?

I just really do need some alpha, cool friends at this point and am at a loss of how to get them since I wasted my college years and didn't make any there.