Good for you, Mandy!
Your friends may be uncomfortable but that is their problem; not yours. They don't know how to behave around someone who is not drinking and they also feel a bit inferior to you because you have self-control and they don't. Being a vegetarian, I've been through that for many decades. You're treated as a stranger and that's okay if the friendships were that shallow.
Continue your journey and your body and brain will reward you for it over a longer future.
Thanks @willymac! As more of us decide that alcohol is not for us, I feel that we're actually following in much of the same cycle as vegetarians did before us. Especially finding places to go out for a drink or for a meal and still be able to find something nice. So thanks for the encouragement and trailblazing!!
Just do what your heart and head tell you is best for you and it will be the right path. It will also not usually be the path followed by the crowd. Realizing that was our first step towards a guilt free decision we have maintained for a very long time. The crows starts to look a little strange after a while.