I quit drinking recently (just hit a month wow), and so far it's been fine because I'm spending all of my time alone or working/doing errands. I don't like drinking alone so it's been fine, but where I live now the ENTIRE social scene is bars and clubs, so I can't meet anyone without being sober in a room full of extremely drunk people. I don't like clubs to begin with, and there's not really any quiet, sit down pubs around here where I could just get a soda and relax.
I used to pound drinks with my buds, but now that I'm seeing demonstrable health benefits of quitting (I have epilepsy and alcohol was giving me seizures) it's getting less justifiable to consider drinking again. I could smoke weed but it often makes me quiet and awkward when alcohol makes me outgoing and confident, which is what I really need right now. Also weed makes me shit at darts and pool.
The comfort level is entirely in your own head.
Anyone paying attention to whether you're drunk or not doesn't matter. And any level of discomfort you have is purely you feeling like people are being silly because drunk when you can be that silly too and would be if you had had a few and nobody would give a shit. If nobody would give a shit if you were drunk, nobody will give a shit while you're sober either.
Lastly, you can always drive the group. The group's driver gets zero hassle and the right to boss everyone around with "you wanna walk home mate?"