In the context of friends meaning people who you regularly hang out with and invite over and all that good stuff I haven't had one of those for around five years now. I'm actually feeling mentally a lot healthier and stress free without them. I grew up in what was actually called The Village of (name of village) where each grade was really small and I just didn't fit in well. I avoided school a lot (my parents let me explore in the wooded acreage around out house for 6+ hours daily and wouldn't even notice I had been gone unless it was on a school day) and my parents supported my asshole psychologist in his decision to keep increasing the dosages of antidepressants, anti anxiety, and hypothyroid medications through my time in high school where I'm not even sure if my personality was wholly mine at the time.

I went to college, dropped over a hundred pounds, found my soulmate, and weaned myself off of all that shit and countered my at-the-time depression with exercise (6 miles nature hikes at least four times a week with my dog). My friends went to live in different places far far away and I didn't feel the need to contact them anymore.

I'm a different person now and not living up to anyone else's expectations except for my own and my fiancé's is freeing. I don't feel lonely at all except for the occasional home sickness. I actually feel torn when somebody at work asks me to hang out because I like spending my days off reading next to my fiancé or taking Lambchop (the dog) for a hike. I'm in shape, I'm 25, have a little dog and a cat and regularly get out but I just don't.... "get out".

I'm not trying to even suggest that most people would be okay without friends. Everyone has different requirements for how much social interaction they need to feel comfortable and needed. Mine are more than satisfied with my little family and even that sometimes feel stifling.