Acquaintance zone

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Really, I didn't realize that in terms of Aspies vs autistics. However, the ones who treated me poorly are purely aspies but they prefer to be called 'Autistic' because of the DSM-V manual and the "Functioning label"

I am an Aspie myself but I have more autistic traits being that I have discovered that I don't get the concept of dating though I tried due to be interested at one point. The whole idea of dumping your good friends to be with a dating or a marriage partner makes no sense to me. However, I can be very extroverted though it wears me down.


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I have this exact situation. The 5 people I consider my "friends" right now are really just acquaintances. We are not close. Worse yet, I'm always the one initiating everything and they never start interactions with me first. No one ever invites me to do anything, which must mean no one considers me their friend.

I only have two friends nowadays, they both live hundreds of miles away. I see them once or twice a year, if that. Occasionally I hang out with my sister, but other than that, nada. I am so lonely and so depressed about it.

The only friends I have ever had are ones that actively tried to be friends with me because they wanted to be friends. I have absolutely no idea how to turn an acquaintance into a friend but if you say this to anybody, their only advice is "go for coffee/a drink with them sometime". I don't understand how you can ask someone if they want to go somewhere with you without it sounding like a date. Other people make friends so effortlessly, I'm baffled.

People hardly ever acknowledge me first. When I was a kid, I always had to inititiate everything with people. I never had that problem with my two best friends, though.

It baffles me too. Other people connect almost instantly and when I try to connect with them, they repel me.

I don't even try.

Uhm... yes? I don't know, really, if I'm honest. I am in the Acquaintance Zone with a lot of people. But I stopped trying to make friends a little while ago. So I'm comfortable in the Az.

In the past I never seemed able to really connect and develop friendships with anyone, though. All the friends I have, and had, were and are people I've known since I was a teenager. It used to really bother me that I couldn't seem to make friends, that most people would eventually think I was too weird and just stop talking to me completely.