9 times out of 10 that's true. But something I often do, and have heard many others do, is leave the t.v. on as background noise to feel less lonely. Or some people come to a chat/forum site for the same reasons, even though they may get little to no direct contact. (=
I think it's unwise to spend time at a place like a bar, and it's possible it will make him more lonely, but at times people simply need to be around others in any manner.