I'm A 20 Year Old Student And An Athlete. I

I'm a 20 year old student and an athlete. I train hard everyday and I am pursuing to become as professional and world class as I can. I have a herniated disc in my lower back but that's not my concern. My concern is alcohol. I've never tried drinking any alcohol beverage ever in my life before but due to some reasons I want to know how will it affect my performance and life in general in long run. Is it good or bad? Please help me with as much detail, specially considering my athletic life.