Worst thing about ordering non-alcoholic drinks (like NA beer or mocktails) at a bar is that they charge you the same fucking price as drinks with alcohol. That’s a ripoff.

I like HOPWTR. Guinness - there’s two versions, one properly carbonated like real Guinness and the other version which is carbonated like soda pop. The “real” one is fantastic, hardly tell the difference between that and real Guinness. i find the majority of Athletic’s NA selection mediocre at best, but they have a few decent standouts like their Moscow Mule. Corona makes a really good 0.0% beer, it’s close to the real thing. Franziskaner Weissbier is a good NA, too. Tanqueray makes a 0.0% gin and tonic, decent, and you can make a decent a fake Aperol Spritz using NA prosecco and one company (Monetto) makes the fake Aperol.

The desire for NA drinks is really growing. The difficulty is finding a decent shop that carries a good variety.

I quit drinking ~3 years ago, and I don’t miss the buzz anywhere near as much as I miss the huge variety of flavors that alcoholic beverages had.

I drink tonic water. Yes it is also full of sugar, but going to the pub is never the healthy choice.
Otherwise, sparkling water with a slice of lemon and lots of ice is very good, too. At home I put a shot of apple vinegar in it, gives it a cider-y taste.

Guinness 0% is the only alchohol free thing that I've found to actually taste like it's original counterpart. Most places seem to have it these days.

Avoiding sugar is going to be difficult as it's the default for non alcoholic drinks. As others have said lime (or other mixer) and soda is probably the best bet.

To add insult to injury I'm finding that a lot of the non alcoholic options tend to be priced higher too.

I'm a fan of ginger beer or any soft drink with ginger bitterness.
Straight tonic is also a good one.

A very popular non-alcoholic drink in Germany is "Apfelschorle". It's half apple juice and half soda water. While apple juice is still pretty sugary, you cut that in half by adding water. In British pubs they often have fruit juice in small bottles, so just pour that in a pint glass, add soda and you're done.

Lime and soda or soda lemon and bitters.

I have lime and soda, all bars do that You could also try googling dry bars in your area.

Orange juice and lemonade is way nicer than it should be.

Ask for a glass of tap water and tip $10

You'll likely get free non-alcoholic drinks free the rest of the night.

I'm 10 years sober... I started the tip thing because I didn't think it was fair to go to an establishment, listen to the music, enjoy the scenery, and pay nothing to anybody. Especially because I cannot emotionally justify spending $7 on a diet pepsi that's 60% ice.

Didn't really realize it was going to happen, but it seems like staff really appreciates that and then treats you really kind in turn.

Lime and soda was always a popular pub drink for non-drinkers.

Where are the soda bars at? I've been making my own at home with club soda and various fruit sweeteners like elderberry.

Non-alcoholic gin and tonic can be pretty good, but is often a rip-off.

Guiness 0% or the Brewdog AFs are pretty good. My favourite was Nanny State, but it's hard to find.

What else do you lot drink that I can reliably get in the pub, which isn't full of caffeine or sugar?

Water.

Only thing at a bar you can reliably get that isn't alcohol, full of sugar, or caffeinated is water. Aside from soda, they'll have cranberry and orange juice for mixers; but juice is even more sugary than soda.

When I'm feeling like not drinking, I usually go for ginger ale or ginger beer, but they're quite sugary. Cutting them with water or a lot of ice can help. Juices universally are pretty sugary too so cutting with them is delicious but not really healthier.

My other go to is soda water with bitters or a small splash of bitter liquor. Bitters are high alcohol but you only get a few drops at a time which is comparable to "0 proof" drinks which can have some trace amounts of alcohol still. Many bars have a variety of bitters and aperitifs so its a bit like having an herbal tonic soda jerk. A squirt of lime or other citrus, or a few syrupy cherries, will also add to such a mocktail.

To be fair, beer and liquor are poisons, and they have tons of calories from unfermented sugars and the alcohol breaking down into more carbs in your body (hence beer guts). If your goal was to lose weight, stick to water. But if it's just to cut back on booze, juice and sugar soda aren't so much worse for you.