I can’t drink alcohol as I am on medication. I can relate to how you feel and I’ve had potential friends lose interest in me too. The right people won’t care that you have soft drinks while they drink alcohol. But it can be socially isolating. I’ve experienced the same thing with smoking. When I was working in a nursing home the other carers went out for cigarette breaks and I’d miss out on that bonding time. It made settling in and getting to know my new colleagues really hard.