Back in college, I had a number of friends who regularly drank until they tossed their cookies. At Yale, this was referred to as ‘booting’, and was often used in the context of a much admired tactic, the ‘boot and rally’ – tossing your cookies, then going on to drink more.

Admittedly, I had my fair share of Yale’s liquor. But, even so, I could see that drinking to vomiting – much less keeping going after – was a patently bad idea. It smacked not only of poor judgement, but of poor kinesthetic sense. By my experience, a few drinks before the boot-inducing shot, I was always struck by a stomach feeling I can only describe as ‘reverse the engines!’ Which, in short, I took to be a sign that I had probably had enough to drink, and that having a few more drinks was unlikely to help matters.

I must admit that, once every few years, I lose sight of this simple truth. I vividly recall, for example, an early morning ride on the Metro North back from New Haven, on my way home from some alumni or business event. I don’t remember any longer what I drank the evening before, or how much, or even what the event itself might have been, but I can clearly picture standing in the swaying platform between cars, still wearing the suit I had trained up in, heaving my guts onto the rapidly moving rails below.

Which is to say, I’m not perfect. But I do try to listen to my body. I eat when I’m hungry, and I stop when I’m full. I exercise when I’m restless, and I stop before injuring myself. I drink water when I’m thirsty, and liquor when, as George Jean Nathan said, I need to make other people more interesting.

In short, I try to let both kinesthetic sense and common sense be my guide. Try it some time. You might be pleasantly surprised.