Captain, you are probably wise to stay away if you have a family history of alcohol abuse, but it isn't inherently bad to drink.
When you get older, you will see more people consume alcohol in a more responsible manner. I didn't drink very often in college, mainly due to running. I drank more in high school than college. When I did drink, I got shit housed. As I got older, I realized that I could enjoy a couple glasses of wine or a few beers without much detriment to my running, my health or my productivity.
Having a glass of wine or two with my wife while we cook dinner (after the kids are in bed) is a great way to relax after a long day or work and a hard run. Is it necessary? No. But it is nice.
I have no idea what my highest BAC might have been b/c I have never been given a Breathalyzer, but I know that it must have been pretty damn high one New Year's Eve shortly after college. I (already half drunk from drinking at dinner) purchased a 5th of Kettle One and finished the entire bottle in 3 hours. I woke up at my girlfriend's place around 3am with vomit all over myself and the floor. She was asleep next me on the couch with a trashcan full of vomit at her feet and vomit all over her new dress. I literally felt like I should be dead. I had no recollection of anything that had happened, and wasn't sure if the vomit was mine or hers. The last thing I could remember was getting into a cab at like 6:00pm.
Apparently, we had to leave our party and go home at 10:30. I had been drinking the vodka out of the bottle like Nick Cage in Leaving Las Vegas. She missed the ball drop and instead spent her NYE helping me not choke on my vomit. She said I was the life of the party for about an hour, but I quickly went downhill and she managed to get me out of there before things got bad. I vomited in the cab 5 seconds after we got in. Had she waited any longer to take me home, that would have been the dance floor. It was a formal party. Tuxes, etc. Luckily, she claims I did not do anything stupid. Everyone I have spoken with over the years thinks the whole thing is hilarious b/c they thought I was just having fun.
We had been dating for about 3 months at the time.
We ended up getting married about 2 years later. At 38 years old, I have not had an incident like that to this day. It honestly changed me. I still shudder to think about how bad it could have gone.