As someone I respect very much once said, "It isn't the job of your family and friends to understand alcoholism, it's YOUR job." That said, if being around certain people makes it more difficult to stay sober you are best off not being in their company for a while, at least until you are on solid grounds with your sobriety.
Just be careful, as Threshold said, of blaming your drinking, or wanting to drink, on people, places, and situations. We drink because we are alcoholics. And that's what alcoholics DO. If it isn't one person, place, or situation, it's another. I think it's an excellent idea to avoid those things in early sobriety until you really internalize the changes in you that will make it not matter what other people say or do, but be careful about resenting those people, places, and situations for not accommodating your illness and recovery.