So for those that care or are in a similar situation just wanted to give an update how things are on my end as far as fading 9 months in.
April of last year I found out the truth about the truth, took one night of googling and the walls came tumbling down. Then I read Read Crisis of Conscience, Combatting Cult Mind Control, first part of In Search of Christian Freedom and eventually Captives of a Concept. My last ever "meeting" was the 3 day convention in July of last year I attended with my family, I posted about it and just how utterly frustrating it was. I then and there made the decision to NEVER go back, and I haven't and never will.
Family situation: Suprisingly I have contact with all of my family, and am on similar/good terms as when I was as a witness. All my immediate JW family and non-JW family know I no longer follow it. I still live with my mom and our relationship is good. Not sure when I'll move out yet lol.
Friends: I have kept one good friend who is still in, but I have shown him the Governing Body is just men. I forsee him fading when he moves out of home. I had a couple of JW friends pop by the house here and there, have been to some outings with witnesses (mostly not from my congregation) and it hasn't been too bad. Though I do try to avoid witnesses, it makes me uncomfortable and feel like I am being judged, I will engage them, I just never talk about anything truth related. I have made a couple of friends from work which is cool.
Mentality/beliefs: I am unsure if there is a God, and honestly I am leaning more towards no. Even when I was a witness I would read scientific articles and skeptical articles and they just made appealed to me as far as belief in a God. I suppose I am agnostic, but at the end of the day this question just doesn't disturb me, it makes for good contimplation mostly. It will not really affect the way I live my life, I will always try to live my life the best way I can, being kind and respectful. I still value Jesus' teachings from a moral perspective. Perhaps if I ever have a family I will truly need to evaluate this.
Emotional state: I believe I am "happier" being out of the witnesses, more "free". I still struggle with things that I always have, like shyness, but even without the idea that I will live forever I still am a positive person overall. I suppose I thought I would be better off emotionally, but the programming and ideas we have since childhood are pretty ingrained things. Perhaps the best is yet to come in this regard.
I think the main thing for me is that now that I am into my late 20s the thing I think most about is relationships. I've never had a real life romantic relationship, and I am ready for one but the JW mentality and my own shortcomings in just meeting someone are still big mental roadblocks for me. I know this is not just unique to being a witness, I've been reading about guys in a similar boat as mine, even ones who were not religious. Also guys in the truth have dated a lot too. I do feel like an outsider in this regard, especially when I'll be hanging out with "worldlies" (lol) and they start talking about their past relationships... I feel very left out. My plan for this year is to actually date, online is crap so far but I will work on my confidence and try to approach girls in real life.
Looking ahead: The elders have not been bothering me which I didn't expect. They tried contacting me a couple times at first but I gave them the cold shoulder and then I haven't heard anything since. Perhaps they will try to pin me down in the future and I'm still not sure if I will play the "I'm good, no thanks" card or the "I'm depressed and life sucks" card. I guess it doesn't matter as long as I'm not DFed, I don't want that to change some of the relationships I have with my family who are still in.
If you have questions go ahead.
Here is hoping 2011 is a great year!