Alcohol is the scourge of mankind and a good Christian should avoid it like the plague.
The effects of alcohol are deceptive - at first it might seem that slight Drunkenness makes everything easier: alcohol loosens your tongue, making you more eloquent, and people will even react more favourably to you, it gets your blood pumping, allowing you to endure more. But the effects come on gradually and it's hard to know when to stop drinking. If you overdo it, the effects are unpleasant. Not only is a roaring hangover a scourge, but waking up from a drunken stupor in a strange place can bring plenty of trouble, but that's nothing compared to the problems of serious alcoholism!
You can see what effect drinking alcohol has had on you in the Buffs tab as well as next to your health indicator:
The higher your Drinking skill level, the less you will suffer the unpleasant effects of alcohol.