Despite the fact that it's not clear whether a person should become drunk on Purim, many people are accustomed to drink until they "cannot tell the difference between 'blessed is Mordechai' and 'cursed is Haman.'"
To avoid having to be dragged away by your sober friends, here is a short guide to safe alcohol consumption:
1. Drink on a full stomach
A simple rule of thumb is that alcohol is better absorbed when consumed on a full stomach. Eat a nutritious meal including both carbohydrates and proteins before you drink, so that the alcohol will be absorbed more slowly and last longer.
2. Keep hydrated
It may sound odd, but alcohol dehydrates you. A good rule of thumb is to drink one cup of water for every cup of alcoholic beverage. It's not an exact formula, but it's better to have too much water than to be dehydrated. It's also important to drink water throughout the day, even before the party starts, to prepare your body for the alcohol.
3. Start small
Like everything else in life, it's better to start with relatively weak alcoholic drinks and work up slowly to the heavier drinks.
Studies have shown that mixing drinks does not change anything, and all that matters is how much alcohol a person consumes. Since mixing drinks usually leads to a higher amount of alcohol, it's best not to mix too many.
4. The day after
If you've tried to drink water throughout the day, you've only had a few cups of wine, and you woke up with a headache, wanted to throw up, you probably have a hangover. Hangovers are caused by excessive drinking that leads to dehydration and low blood sugar.
If you drank enough throughout the day, you shouldn't have a hangover, but if you woke up with a headache, the simplest solution is to drink Sprite. Studies show that Sprite contains ingredients which help the body break down alcohol, prevent headaches, and eliminate hangover.