Going out in evening

Hi, my son is 13 and has autism. For years now he has found it almost impossible to have anyone else do bedtime apart from me, which in turn means I can never leave him with anyone in the evening. This means I've missed important meetings, and social events at times, which I truly don't mind, but sometimes I just feel torn as there are events I really should get to and can't. Has anyone else had this issue and do you have any advice? Thanks