welcome!!!
Yeah, there are large sections of society where drinking is a somewhat integral part of the social scene. I race-sailboats-and there is a lot of drinking that takes place at the regattas and even after the casual, Wednesday night races-referred to in many places as "beer can racing' but I can still do what I love and not have to take part in the drinking, because, believe it or not, there are a lot of folks participating that don't drink, or don't drink excessively.
I think as active alcoholics our perspective tends to get somewhat skewed as we gravitate towards other alcoholics or at best people that we think drink as much as we do.
Can remember clearly the first social event I attended newly sober, I was a little nervous because I knew that I would be exposed to drinking with a group of people that I had drank with in the past, a family Christmas party for the sailing club I belonged to at that time. Family as children were welcome.
I was a little surprised that folks didn't seem to be drinking as much as I thought they would, and if I had been drinking at that occasion, I probably would have been the heaviest drinker there!
All that being said, I still participate in those social setting where people drink, but I limit my exposure to the drinking, and I generally always avoid situations where the event is simply a pretext to drink, and I think we both know what those occasions are for each of us.
Keep coming back, you'll find a lot of support here.