Easy? Yes and no.
It was easy in that i knew it wasn't for me. Hard in that it took time to untie the knots in my head and recreate myself.
Did I lose family and friends? Yes and no
I still talk with the parental units and we maintain a relationship, albeit a strained one at times. No other family to speak of. As for the friends from then, they were left behind with the former life. Made new ones.