I don't drink alcohol as a rule (just don't like the stuff). No problem getting non-alcoholic drinks - I usually rotate through a cycle of Sprite ("sooprite"), soda water ("nam so-daaa") and orange juice ("nam som") with an occasional coffee to perk me up ("kafee rorn" or "kafee lorn").
People buying rounds can be a nuiscance as you get presented with an endless stream of various 'shots' that you have to decline and this can be awkward. However the staff soon cotton-on and stop including you or provide you with a soft-drink equivalent.
Bars tend to charge less for soft drinks, but you can make up for the appearance of being a cheap-charlie by buying the girls and mama-san drinks. Gogo's seem to charge as much for a soft drink as for alcohol, if not more
Many is the time I have sat down in a gogo and ordered a 'happy-hour' draft beer (60-70 THB) that has sat untouched while I assess the talent ('happy hours' don't usually apply to soft drinks
). If nothing appeals I leave it there, if I buy a girl a drink, then I will buy a soft drink at full price (90-120 THB) and leave the beer alone. I can visit one or two dozen gogos in a night and saving 50THB in each can add up to an entire barfine.
Beyond that, the girls seem to like a non-drinker for a change
