Do friends grow apart as they get older?

[GirlAfraid23]

My friends and I are growing apart....
It seems a gradual process but I don't seem to have a 'best' friend anymore.
I barely see them or hear from them anymore. When I do see them, its for about 20 minutes and then I don't see them again until weeks later.
I always text them and very rarely get a reply :-(

Is this just normal?
We are all 23/24 and in relationships.

[jelly2010]

I'm afraid I think this is often a common development. Friendships, like all relationships, take work and effort on both sides for them to work. As we get older we get busy with other priorities (work, studying, family, new friends, etc) and sometimes friendships are neglected.

Have you tried speaking to your friends about it? Let them know that you are saddened by the fact you don't seem so close anymore and let them know you would be willing to make an effort to see more of each other?

J x

[Magic]

Yes it's true, I do have a best friend though she lives down the road.
The friends I used to have when I worked. we don't get in touch. I might bump into one or two now and again. They given up on me. It's my fault. I just cannot socialise.Any of them are welcome to come and see me ,and they say they will
but never do. We exchange cards at Christmas. Thats all.
My best friend I have known for over 30 years. I don't know what i would do without her.We help each other out.
We go on day trips together.
Infact a member on here Granny Primark have seen us together on a
day out to Liverpool. It was Lynn who told me about NMP as we were on
the bus. WE ARE ALL FRIENDS ON HERE to which I am very grateful
Take Care :hugs::hugs:

[Sparkle1984]

Yes, I've found this as well. All my best friends are people I first met at high school, so now that we're all adults it's pretty much inevitable that we don't see each other as much as we used to. At high school I could see my friends every school day, but these days I'm lucky if I can see some of them once a month. Some of my friends live away and others are so busy with their jobs and relationships that I don't get to see them as often as I'd like.

I've also found that it's much harder to make new friends when you're older. I'm an active member of a social club, so I get to meet lots of people but I wouldn't really consider any of them to be close friends like my high school friends. They're more like acquaintances - I still enjoy being with them but I wouldn't feel comfortable confiding in them about any kinds of sensitive subjects (eg anxiety).

As for work colleagues, I've discovered that as soon as they change jobs, or you change jobs, they don't tend to keep in touch any more. In my first proper job, I mistakenly thought that my colleagues would be friends for life, but when I left the department I found that we soon drifted apart. They kept in touch at first, but then I noticed that they were gradually contacting me less and less. Later, it was always me contacting them, rather than the other way round. I tried to send a couple of ex-colleagues text messages and Facebook messages asking how they were getting on in their new jobs, but they didn't reply. Nowadays I think work colleagues will only be friends for life if you have something in common other than work - for example, a shared hobby in your free time.