People who disagree with how you choose to live your life and decide to drop you are not worth the sadness or heartache of losing that person.
The decisions that you make are exactly that YOUR decisions, it shouldn't matter because it's your life and you have to make the best choices for you. If they decide you aren't worth your time then that's fine because they aren't worth yours. Everyone should be able to make decisions and not have to worry about what other people think. Or have people make you feel bad or shun you for the decision that you made. You made that decision or choice because you felt it best fit you and your life.
They need to either accept it or leave because you don't deserve all that negative energy in your life.
If they really were your friend they would accept it and support you and not treat you any different because it's not what they wanted you to do or it affects them. They really weren't your friends, to begin with, unless you were making a decision or choice that was going to affect you physically or mentally or cause death then your choices should be respected. You should be respected and if they cared about you at all they would. and they wouldn't treat you any differently, because nothing changed between the two of you, they are just acting as it did. So don't dwell for too long cause it's not your fault at all.