Using it as a “social lubricant” is a lame excuse, it makes you an imposter giving a false representation of your true personality that people would actually interact with day to day. When the tide goes out, we’ll see who was swimming naked.
Life is not just a series of social events nor a purity test, and those events are as highly contrived as the sober facades of the people planning them. Some of the fakest people I've ever known were those who "got sober" or were way too proud of never having a drop.
Sobriety may be healthier for your body, but recalcitrance towards something as basic as alcohol is definitely not mentally healthy. A drink every now and then is not a personal failure. Alcoholism is, though.
If that leaves you frustrated and wondering where the line is, welcome to all of life's decisions. Alcohol is just one of them. You don't have to drink, but the majority of people rightfully won't trust someone who retreats on various topics when they can't find the line. Completely abstaining says as much loud and clear. I'm not encouraging drinking. I'm discouraging hard stances and lack of nuance.
And it is not mentally healthy to drink. Getting tipsy as a way of dealing with social friction is not good for you.