Being the only one who won’t do it feels lonely for an hour and solid for years.

Standing apart in a group feels enormous while it is happening, mostly because the room is right there and the future is not. The discomfort is short and loud. What it buys is quiet and long: a version of yourself you never have to explain later, and a reputation that walks in ahead of you.

Where you can, decide beforehand what you will not do, so the moment does not need a fresh act of courage. Keep a flat sentence ready that invites no argument, something like I am good. Then change the subject and let the hour pass.