I'm trying to think, but I stopped drinking about a year, maybe 18 months, before I started using kava. I just got so drunk one day, so damned sick, that I decided "never again" and that was that.
If you're ambivalent about the future use of alcohol, I would recommend having fast-kava nearby, maybe even a rootlet to chew on. Paradise's extracts would be my first choice as a close-at-hand portable solution. If you're not looking for portability, Nakamal@home has some very good spray-dried kava powders.
As far as mix-the-roots-yourself kava, most people like a borogu variety like Nakamal@home's Black Sands. There are premium versions of this like Stone that have 100% lateral roots for a stronger product, and even more premium versions like WOW that remove even more bark.
If you need a certain lack of coordination to feel proper, I would recommend an ISA variety like Kava By Rex's Tudei kava.
Now, if you want to be disabled by your kava, what you want is Shaman. Take a good, strong kava like Kava By Rex's Tongan Warrior, mix it a little thicker than recommended. Now, in your shell, take some Shaman and a tablespoon or two of water, and make sure all the power is mixed in. Now, take your ladle or measuring cup (or empty plastic single-serving applesauce cup, in my case), and add some kava on top of your kava. I don't know why, but this is better than just drinking two servings.
I do have a hypothesis why, and it involves the fact that Shaman, Fire Island, and VKS Instant are all spray-dried extracts of fresh kava, which has a different chemical signature than kava made from dehydrated roots. Combining both fresh and dehydrated gives a fullness to the experience above and beyond the sum of its parts. At least, that's my hypothesis. Vince Lebot hasn't been able to accept my invitation to Buckingham yet.
I also felt very warm in my core and there was a consistent pressure in my head, but not unpleasantly so (might have had to do with sinuses).
