Many people have family and friends they'd much rather be around than the people they're forced to be around at work, even if those people are nice and their friends, so they don't need their job to substitute that socialization for them.
They are not a substitute for family or friends. I enjoy my co-workers' company and our little chats and social interactions provide a lot of value to me personally. I don't know why you feel forced to choose between your family and your co-workers. Seems like you've experienced some toxic/bad workplace environments.
I can only speak for myself. I won't get the same thing because we wont be sharing common goals, and/or celebrating little wins, or pulling in favors from other departments, etc, etc.
