I feel that i learned alot of positive traits (or at least engendered them, or nurtured them, practiced even) that have helped me immensly in my friendships. I dropped the judgment, and reaped the friendships. Then again, i wasnt raised in it. But i feel my witness experience certainly enhanced my ability to have and keep friends. You just have to take the good things from what you've been through, and drop the bad.
I hate bars, but, i think that has to do more with the fact that you can hardly hold a conversation in most of em, i dont like paying 10 times as much for beer than normal, and random drunk idiots bother me.
that being said, i have enough friends to have a nice bbq even after the witnesses :)