The word 酒鬼 is formed by directly combining the character for "alcohol" (酒) with the character for "ghost" or "demon" (鬼). This creates a powerful metaphorical image: it visualizes a person whose identity and behavior are so thoroughly dominated by alcohol that they are no longer just a human drinker, but a spirit or phantom possessed by it. The term evokes someone who is haunted by drink, whose life is consumed by it, carrying strong connotations of addiction, ruin, and a loss of self-control, all encapsulated in a single, vivid portrait.