Purim has a Drinking Problem

What is the nature of our obligation for this feast? A person should eat meat and prepare as attractive a feast as his means permit. He should drink wine until he becomes intoxicated and falls asleep in a stupor...

2. One is obligated to be intoxicated on Purim to the point where he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai". RAMA: Some say it is not necessary to become drunk so much, but rather to drink more than he is used to (Kol Bo), and to fall asleep, and while he sleeps he does not know [the difference] between "accursed is Haman" and "blessed is Mordechai" (Maharil). [There is no difference on Purim] between one who has more and one who has less, as long as his heart is directed to heaven...

Basically, we are confronted here with two difficulties. 1) How is it possible that the sages have not only permitted but have encouraged indulgence in the evil practice of getting drunk? 2) Tossaphot wonder how it is possible for a Jew to become so drunk that he forgets the difference between cursing Haman and blessing Mordechai? We have quoted the entire line from the Talmud because of this question of Tossaphot. We also need to examine the language used in the Talmud to describe this degree of drunkenness. Real drunkenness is never referred to as בסומי, but rather as מבוסם (an expression describing the feeling of exhilaration resulting from drinking alcoholic beverages). It follows that a person who is not really drunk is called בסומי. I therefore believe that the sages -rather than encouraging excessive drinking- encouraged a minimal intake of wine or other alcoholic beverage. Since it is impossible for a Jew to fulfil the condition that he should forget the distinction between "cursed be Haman,” and "blessed be Mordechai,” the entire statement of the sages regarding the amount of drink on Purim becomes null and void. Nonetheless there remains the commandment to drink some intoxicating beverage.

...If you will say, how can the sages require inebriation on Purim? We know several places in the Torah that enumerate of the great stumbling block that is inebriation, like the stories of Noach, or Lot. And there are those who say, the answer is that all of the miracles that happened for the Jews in the days of Ahashverosh happened during wine-feasts: Vashi resisted coming out... Esther emerged as queen... and Haman's downfall also happened through a wine-feast. Therefore, we are obligated to drink on Purim because the miracle happened through wine, and so we too, remember the miracle through drinking wine.

The Talmud says: "[One should drink] until one does not know how to distinguish between Cursed is Haman and Blessed is Mordechai," teaching us we should not distinguish between two aspects [or qualities of groups of Jews in Shushan]. The group of Blessed is Mordechai [who believed in his plan] should reach the strength of faith like those of Cursed of Haman. The group of Cursed of Haman [those who had faith once Haman's fate was sealed] should reach the simple faith like the group of Blessed is Mordechai, who had complete faith without doubt [from the outset].