If you dont drink hard alcohol straight (60 proof and above) do you not get as good a buz and does it fade?

First of all, most hard liquors start at 80 proof, which is 40% alcohol by volume. You can most definitely get drunk off of 60 proof, it'll just take a bit longer. And actually adding any carbonation will help the alcohol get in your system more quickly. And being that you've only been drunk once before, that will probably do the trick quite well. Be careful and don't drive.