For the non-drinker, December’s office parties–and routine happy hours, and client dinners–can be a burden. Often, the affairs become less about revelry and more about downplaying one’s decision to teetotal.

Some resort to subterfuge: teetotalers might order an Old Fashioned but leave it untouched, or sip water cleverly disguised in a martini glass. Some just hope colleagues don’t pry or insist. (“C’mon, just one drink.”)

But more is at play than camouflage cocktails. A new study out of North Carolina State University suggests non-drinkers can struggle spectacularly at work happenings when alcohol is the centerpiece. From worry about career advancement and bonding to apprehension over uncomfortable questions, abstaining can be a professional risk.

Non-drinkers often feel abstinence violates workplace norms, says professor Lynsey Romo, the author of the study. As a result, “communication about alcohol abstinence can be difficult,” Romo writes–and if not handled deftly, both parties can leave an encounter feeling uneasy. Teetotalers fear they may come across as unwilling to fit in; and drinkers may feel they’re being looked down upon.

It’s a concern particularly felt in client-heavy industries. “People who were in the business world [and] law firm life seemed to experience more trouble,” Romo said. “[When] the clients are drinking, it was potentially awkward that the [non-drinkers] were not.”

None of Romo’s 29 interviewees said they’d skip work events serving alcohol. “They all acknowledged it’s really important to show your face,” Romo said. “They definitely thought it was important to be out socializing.”

Romo’s sources–and a series of folks interviewed by Fast Company–shared their tactics for navigating tipsy waters.