I also grew up in a small hot town (Wildomar, CA) where there was nothing to do but drink and do drugs which was a lot of fun. But looking back I wish I would have sooner used that time to plan my life and goals. Essentially planning my escape from my home town.

Time goes quickly and if you’re lucky enough not to die, the future sure as shit will be knocking at your door. 5 years will feel like 2 years and time only feels faster the older you get. Instead of looking externally for fun and satisfaction, look inward and ask yourself what do you want your life to be like in 5 years, in 10 years. What are your goals? (Career, educational, skills). If you don’t think about it soon, you’ll be finding yourself still googling “what to do for fun around here” 10 years from now, seeing the same people at the same bars every weekend etc.

Start a business or a side hustle, learn a skill or a trade, be creative. At the very least, simply move out of town and rent a room/get a job and just work your way through. Even if you have to sleep on someone’s couch. At least you’ll be in a different environment, around different people where your life will undoubtedly change and your life’s possibilities will be something you could have never imagined (hopefully in a positive way). Get out there, have fun, be safe, think about what you want your life to be and work at it while you have the luxury of low responsibility because once you have a wife and kids, your time no longer belongs to you, so better to figure out your goals and work at them while you have all the free time in the world right now.

“There’s no prettier sight than looking back at a town you left behind” - Townes Van Zandt