The claim
The word “alcohol” is said to come from the Arabic word Al-Khul, which means “body-eating spirit” in German.
Our conclusion
The term "spirits" in relation to alcohol was used even before the Arabic term, the word itself then probably arose from a mixture of the words "al-Koh'l" and "al-ghawl", which was when tracing the origin of words or sentences is not unusual. What is certain, however, is that it does not come from “body-eating spirit” and the term “spirits” does not indicate this either.
known why we get drunk when we drink alcohol : ethanol affects messenger metabolism in the brain, inhibits signal processing, thereby changing perception and behavior, and in larger quantities leads to confusion and disorientation and even fainting.
The spiritual explanation, however, is much more exciting: when a film "breaks" you are actually being possessed by a spirit, and this is controlled by the media and the government! You didn't know either, did you?
Alcohol, you evil spirit!
This long text tumbled into my Facebook timeline:

Here are the most important passages:
“The word alcohol also comes from the Arabic term Al-khul, which means -BODY-EATING SPIRIT- (also the origin of the term ghoul).
In alchemy, alcohol is used to extract a being's soul essence. By consuming alcohol in the body, it actually extracts the very essence of the soul, making the body more receptive to neighboring entities, most of which are of low frequencies.
Why do you think we call certain alcoholic drinks SPIRITS?
For this reason, people who consume excessive amounts of alcohol often pass out and cannot remember what happened.
This happens when the good soul (that we were sent here with) leaves because the living conditions are too polluted and traumatic to endure.
Are you aware that we already live in an ancient religious cult trained in the dark powers of alcohol?
It is this cult that popularizes alcohol through the media and the government it controls to serve a very old and dark agenda.
We are even used as food energy for dark spirits that live outside the frequency of visible sight.”
In short: The media and government, controlled by an ancient religious cult, tell us that we have to drink alcohol (actually it's more of a warning, but okay) to become possessed by dark spirits. For whatever reason.
Alcohol = spirit = spirit = body-eating spirit?
The true origin of the term “spirit” may be a mystery, but one thing is certain: the term goes back far into history. Many believe the term dates back to the 4th century BC. BC. Others claim that the word “alcohol” comes from the Middle East. The term consisted of the prefix "al", which is undoubtedly Arabic, but it is disputed whether the full term was "al-Koh'l" or "al-ghawl".
What speaks for “al-ghawl”:
In Arabic, the word means “spirit”. The word is found in the Quran, Sura 37, verse 47 and is described as a ghoul that intoxicates or confuses people.
What speaks for “al-Koh'l”:
All sources agree that this explanation is the more likely, even if it sounds unusual: the basis of the word is ancient eyeliner!
A very fine, powdery substance known as stibnite was used to make eyeliner in ancient times. Stibnite is a black mineral substance and was the main ingredient in the ancient eyeliner called “al-Koh'l,” which means “paint” in Arabic.
And now comes the derivation: The product itself was made using an ancient form of sublimation. The process was similar to what we now call distillation. Many assume that the term became a more general name for any distilled substance.
Later in history, the term “alcohol” became more commonly used specifically to refer to ethanol. The “spirit” of the substance was released during the distillation process.
Of course, it is also entirely possible that the term arose from the fusion of two similar-sounding words over time, which is quite common when tracing the origin of words or phrases.
“Spirits” – Older than “Alcohol”
In the handbook of the bartender online course “ BarSmarts Advanced ” by the renowned alcohol experts and authors Dale DeGrodd, David Wondrich and Paul Pacult, there is an even older explanation, which is rather contradicted: According to this, Aristotle is said to have discovered the distillation of spirits as early as 327 BC. He is said to have called alcohol “spirits” because he believed that drinking alcohol left you with an invigorated “spirit”.
Some also trace the term “spirits” back to the Bible: In Acts, Chapter 2, people are filled with the Holy Spirit and begin to speak in foreign languages. Then verse 13 says, “ But others mocked, saying, They are drunk with sweet wine .” Simply put, the Holy Spirit is physically compared to the intoxicating effect.
But if we go back in history, we notice that the term “spirits” is used very often in the era of alchemy: While many alchemists became famous for their search for gold, many also tried to mix elixirs for medicinal purposes. To make a medicine more effective, they mixed a liquid, distilled it, collected the vapors, and then improved the “spirit” (Latin spiritus) of the original mixture.
So it's not really clear where exactly the term "spirits" comes from, but we can draw some logical conclusions. For example, beer and wine are not called spirits because they are not distilled, from which one can conclude that distillation is the key, i.e. preserving the “spirit” of a liquid.
Let's summarize
The term "spirits" in relation to alcohol was used even before the Arabic term, the word itself then probably arose from a mixture of the words "al-Koh'l" and "al-ghawl", which is what happened when tracing the origin of words or sentences is not unusual.
What is certain, however, is that it does not come from “body-eating spirit” and the term “spirits” does not indicate this either.
Article image: Pixabay
Further sources:
Gentlemen Ranters , Tinto Amorio , Science Friday
Also interesting: Not everything that lags is a comparison.
But while we're at it: For the price of a Porsche Taycan you can also get around 200 new washing machines. – The comparison of e-Porsche and washing machines is extremely flawed!
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