Am i disadvantaged because I don’t drink?
Not necessarily, this guy was very much the outlier and it is very unlikely you'll be in a club with other lawyers into the morning. There will pretty much always be one or several evening socials on a vac scheme which you definitely 1000% should go to. You don't have to drink while there and can have soft drinks or water, but some people choose not to attend at all which is really just shooting yourself in the foot. Usually these socials have your fellow vac schemers, grad rec, your supervisors and sometimes other lawyers too. Basically everyone who's responsible for deciding if you get a TC. Similarly if you are invited to an informal after work drink with your team (though as I've said this is less typical), I would also encourage you to go. Again you can just stay for an hour or two and have soft drinks.
Basically take every opportunity to socialise, I was never invited to after informal work drinks for example, but the trainees in my team did invite me to eat lunch with them every day which really build a relationship. I felt way more comfortable asking them for help with things, or asking to put me in touch with other people. The work and professional side of a vac scheme is obviously most important, but at that stage they already know you're bright and capable, and that will be assessed through your work product and assessments. The one thing they really can't tell about you until the scheme is if you're a pleasant and personable individual who people want to work with, which is done through interacting with you daily and at socials.
