As my friends continue to prove unable to handle their liquor, this hopes to become a series of helpful hints and amusing anecdotes which the more experienced party-goers can use to ridicule their friends who ill-advisedly drink beyond their means. It also sets up for some pretty good photography. Here’s hoping they’ll still hang out with me.

A while back at our weekly poker game, one of our regulars decided to partake in a little Smirnoff 100. For those of you who haven’t ever had the misfortune of drinking this godforsaken beverage, Smirnoff 100 is just like regular vodka… except stronger. It is 100 proof rather than 80 proof, hence the name. Making it 20, carry the two, 10% more alcohol. I was told there would be no math.

At the beginning of the evening, I distinctly told my colleague to go easy drinking that stuff as it would surely catch up with him. And it did.

This article appears in Nov 11-17, 2009.