Ok Reddit, I'm looking for a bit of advice here. I'm sorry if this post becomes a super long one. Every time I start this post I end up going on and on and then never post it. :/

So I'm going to be 25 in a few months and I'm looking to make some life changes. I have some serious confidence and self esteem issues that stem from my upbringing and events in my life. (Doing this in list form since I tend to ramble) • I have never felt that I was good enough or deserving. • I have always been shy and get alot of anxiety when talking to people that I don't know. • I flunked out of college and lost my job 2 years ago. This lead to a full year of depression and addiction to mmo gaming. I basically became a shut in, playing Warcraft for 18-20 hours a day, breaking only for food/bathroom and alienating myself from the few friends i may have had. I slimmed down to an unhealthy, frail 155 lbs. (6'5" tall). • I still live with my parents and family. There are 9 of us total. Mother, father, sister, brother-in-law, myself, 2 younger brothers, younger niece, newborn nephew. • In December my parents fell so far behind that our electricity was cut off and we spent 7 weeks living in a hotel room. • In January my parents lost our family home to foreclosure after 12 years of living there. I had helped with mortgage and bills over the years, in excess of $35,000 leaving me with nothing. They didn't tell our family that we would be evicted until 3days before we had to be out. • I found a 4 bedroom row home that we could afford but quarters are very tight, tensions constantly high, and there is non stop fighting between my parents. • I have contemplated suicide several times but am bound to life by an obligation I feel with my younger brother.

So that's the bad, now for some good.

• I have gotten my job back and they are working closely with me to repay a few debts I have from previously flunking out and getting back in school to finish a degree. • I will be going to school in the fall and have received a scholarship that will pay for it completely. • I have quit mmo gaming completely cold turkey. • I have started going to the gym and am finally seeing some results that I have always desired.

I feel like things are starting to turn around for me but i still feel like there are voids in my life that i want filled. So now for my questions I guess.

• I need to make some friends. I am tired of sitting home alone and doing nothing now that I'm not playing mmos anymore. But how do I do it when I face so much anxiety when talking to people? Where are good places to meet people? How do I approach them? • I would like to find a girlfriend or just female interaction. Something more than short term hopefully. I have been in relationships before, both lasting longer than a year. But how can I have a relationship when I feel like I have all this baggage? • I want to get out on my own but I worry about the fate of my younger brother at the hands of my parents financial irresponsibility and the eventual break down of our current situation and I don't think that I make enough money to support myself.

I hope you all have some good advice for me. Let me know if I need to elaborate on any details of my situation. Thanks :)

TL;DR - I am a 25 year old male with confidence and anxiety issues struggling to make friends or find meaningful relationships.

Pics: http://imgur.com/M7wKh http://imgur.com/TNHTQ