I’ve pretty much always gone to bars alone. Part of that is that I don’t have a big group of friends to go out with, and my few close friends aren’t really drinkers. Also, I didn’t grow up in this town so I don’t have any lifelong buddies. I’m also quite terrible at meeting new people.
When I was in my 20s and a drunk I had one or two bars that I frequented regularly. At one in particular I got to be pretty good friends with almost the entire regular crowd. That was mainly because the first time I ever went there I discovered they had an open mike/jam night, and that enabled me to immediately fall in with this crowd of musicians that really enjoyed playing music with a variety of people, and new blood was always welcome. Also, my penchant for comedy songs quickly made me a favorite of the non-musician customers. So while I always arrived at that bar alone, I could always count on there being somebody there I knew and liked, who I could hang out and drink with any time of day or night.
Then in my late 20s I stopped drinking and visiting bars altogether and I lost contact with most of that crowd over the next 13 years during which I didn’t drink at all.
When I turned 40 a couple years ago I took up drinking again on a much more limited basis - where in my 20s I was in the habit of drinking beer until I was shit-faced every single night, now I restrict myself to going out no more than once per paycheck, and I also limit myself to spending no more than $50. That works out to three or four doubles of decent scotch, which I sip slowly to make them last from 9:00 to closing time. I only go to one particular small bar, which is within easy walking distance of my house, where I enjoy singing karaoke. I still go alone, but chat with the regulars who are mostly friendly people, though I don’t consider any of them “my good friends”. Nowadays, my twice-monthly excursions to the bar mainly provide me with a change of pace and a way to get out of the house and away from my computer.
