Is there a way to cope with loneliness? I see many kids nowadays consider themselves lonely and say shit like "i have only 2-3 friends IRL"
I have a couple friends nowadays, but until I hit the age of around 24 or so, I didn't have a single friend, and only the very rare, and short-lived, acquaintances. So I know what it's like to be friendless and completely alone for very long periods of time, as that's how I lived my entire childhood and early adult years. I started drinking to cope when I was old enough, but when I was younger, I would spend all my time on my video games or hiking in the woods, as an escape. Get lost in something, and force it if need be. I remember one easter break in grade school where I just played Mario Kart Double Dash by myself for almost a week straight; it wasn't a happy moment in my life, but it could've been worse: it could've been spent dwelling on my situation in life. It didn't make me feel any better to get lost in copes, but it made me put off the rope for all those years.
And then whenever you do get interaction with other people, such as forced interaction because you're in a group project together in school, or stuck doing something with a coworker, try to talk a bit, even if they don't really want to talk to you. Bad, awkward interactions will still feel better than no interactions when you lay alone at night thinking about the day. Make the most of every little bit of interaction you get, if you don't know when your next social interaction will happen.
Maybe also consider YouTube or Twitch. I got pretty hooked on watching streamers and YouTubers play games, because when they talk to their audience, it feels like they're talking to you. And I figured Twitch chat would help with socialization, too. Obviously, those are not good places to go to feel less lonely and get proper socialization, and the feeling of it helping with loneliness is probably placebo, but if you're desperate and you're not having social interactions of any kind otherwise, they can do in a pinch to at least get you by for the day. And whatever you do, don't subscribe or donate just to get a bit of attention from the streamer, as that won't end well. Lurking has always worked well enough for me when I felt backed into a corner.
