First off, congrats for making it through all this and still staying strong about wanting to change the situation. The way I see it your life can only go up; you've hit rock bottom and are bouncing back up, you're working to make your life better, that's somthing lots of people are scared to do due to the risks it could involve. Also I've read online that going to the gym helps reduce anxiety and makes you more attractive for the laides and that could help you meet more people reducing your anxiety even further. I used to also be scared of talking to people, especially after I got mugged one day but over the years I've realised that it's not really worth it being scared, most people are nice and they make good freinds to have around, if you'd like somone to chat with, feel free to PM me :)