2024 Addicted Society Part 1 - A Country of Young and Healthy-Looking Alcoholics Broadcast Date: Friday, February 23, 2024, 10 PM Our country's drinking culture mainly started in group life. From the 'righteousness drink' that strengthens unity with classmates and seniors while enjoying freedom as an adult after entering college, to the 'bomb drink' that you drink at a company dinner as part of social life. This was gradually criticized as a 'bad habit, old-fashioned culture' by the MZ generation who had become adults, and it seemed to disappear after the Corona pandemic. However, a new trend is emerging. It is another form of a society that is moving towards heavy drinking. This week, 60 Minutes met 'young and healthy-looking alcoholics' and reported on their realities. ■ The phenomenon of high-functioning alcohol use disorder Attorney Min-cheol, who is recognized at work, is on his way home from work. He is holding two bottles of makgeolli in his hand. After returning home and putting the child to bed, drinking two bottles of makgeolli with a game is Mincheol’s ‘small happiness’ (or small happiness). Depending on the dinner menu, he sometimes drinks beer or mixes it with soju, but it has never interfered with his work or daily life. Even when his wife, who is worried about his health, advises him to cut down on drinking, Mincheol consistently pretends not to know. The only thing he does not compromise on, despite being diligent in raising children and doing housework, is alcohol. Is Mincheol, who looks young and healthy, a drinker or an alcoholic? “He is called a highly adaptive alcoholic in the sense that he performs his social role well and does not engage in violent behavior or verbal abuse. In the case of my patients, there are countless cases where they become alcoholics after becoming high-ranking professors, or where they become hospitalized after retirement because their alcoholism becomes too severe.” Ha Jong-eun / Psychiatry specialist - ■ The culture of drinking alone that has emerged since COVID-19 In recent years, we have been able to see a new phenomenon related to drinking. It is the ‘whiskey open run.’ People have started lining up before the opening to buy popular whiskeys first. Last year, whiskey imports reached approximately 340 billion won, the highest since 2007. Most whiskey enthusiasts are in their 30s or younger, and they open a store to enjoy a delicious and luxurious hobby at home after work. “I think it’s getting younger. When I first opened the store, the percentage of customers was high in their 30s and 40s, but now the main customers are in their 20s and 30s. Many people from nearby universities come here. I actually only drank soju in college, but I’m a little surprised by the current culture.” Park Won-kyung / ‘D’ whiskey bar operator - “Rather than gathering together to drink like in the past, people are enjoying time alone or... The culture of drinking alone has developed as more people want to have personal time, and whiskey fits this culture, so I think it’s popular these days.” Shim Jeong-wook / 25 years old, college student - Drinking alone quietly without being forced or forced. It may seem like a good idea, but experts unanimously say that this is exactly what’s dangerous. “If you hang out and talk, you can drink more slowly. But if you drink alone, no one will stop you, so you are more likely to drink faster. Then you are more likely to drink more... If you are a woman, you can suffer faster, and these things can quickly lead to alcohol use disorder. Let's look at it this way." Kim Gwang-gi / Professor, Graduate School of Public Health, Inje University - "Usually, when you come to the clinic, they ask you three questions: 'Have you ever drank alone?' or 'Do you drink secretly?' or 'Do you drink during the day?' When you ask these three questions and say, 'I drink alone, drink during the day, and drink secretly,' the probability of addiction is 99%. However, after COVID-19, drinking alone has increased significantly, so asking 'Do you drink alone?' has become meaningless." Heo Seong-tae / Psychiatrist - ■ The number of high-risk female drinkers is increasing. Su-jin maintains her drunkenness by drinking soju every morning and evening. When she was fired from her job three months ago and her relationship with her boyfriend deteriorated, her self-esteem hit rock bottom, and alcohol was the only thing that comforted her. "Father in heaven. Lord Jesus Christ, please be a refuge for those who depend on alcohol. At this time, I seek help for those who are struggling with alcoholism or dependence. Please give me the faith that I can do it.” Park Soo-jin (pseudonym) / 36 years old - He desperately wants to break free from alcoholism, so much so that he would lie down on the floor and read a prayer. Why is it so hard to quit drinking? “In the case of female alcoholism, the progression is very fast. So it’s not that women can’t drink. The fact that alcoholism progresses quickly means that alcohol overwhelms the brain even more. In fact, when women enjoy drinking, they often drink more than men. This is because their ability to control is lost.” Ha Jong-eun / Psychiatrist - In addition to high-functioning alcoholics and drinking alone, there is another new form of drinking that we should pay attention to. ‘Female alcoholics’ According to the National Health and Nutrition Survey data recently published by the Korea Disease Control and Prevention Agency, women’s drinking has been increasing explosively since about 10 years ago. In particular, the rate of high-risk drinking among women in their 20s and 30s was high. Experts analyzed that advertisements by liquor companies targeting women also had an effect on increasing the number of female drinkers. By selecting young and clean-looking liquor models, they changed the image of alcohol from the past when rough and drunk people would drink to the image of alcohol that people want to be like, and increased the amount of alcohol consumed by women. ■ A society that still ‘encourages drinking’ On January 1st, the first day of the new year, we heard news of a reduction in the price of soju. The government introduced a standard sales ratio to reduce the tax imposed on domestically produced distilled liquor. In response, the liquor industry also lowered the ex-factory price, saying that they would participate in easing the burden on consumers and stabilizing prices. Should we be happy that we can drink alcohol at a cheaper price? “In fact, although the most effective alcohol harm prevention policy advised by the WHO (World Health Organization) is alcohol pricing policy and tax policy, we have somewhat of a taboo in thinking about it as a policy, and I hope we don’t talk about ‘Soju, the friend of the common people’ anymore because it’s like the government is advertising soju companies.” Lee Hae-guk / Chairman of the Korean Association of Addiction Psychiatry The experts we met during our reporting emphasized that 40-50% of alcohol problems are determined by social and environmental factors. The number of alcohol stores in the area and how tolerant the society is of alcohol have a direct impact. A country where you can buy and drink alcohol anytime, anywhere. A society where drinking alcohol is evaluated as a skill. How long can we say that alcohol problems are the fault of individuals? Episode 1356 of Investigative 60 Minutes, Part 1 of 2024 Addicted Society - A Country of Young and Healthy-Looking Alcoholics, will air on KBS 1TV on Friday, February 23rd. Since 1983, Korea's first investigative program Tracking the truth with the eyes of common sense Every Friday at 10 p.m. KBS1 《Tracking 60 Minutes》 ✔ Tips: 010-4828-0203 / Tracking 60 Minutes homepage / [email protected] ▶Homepage: https://program.kbs.co.kr/2tv/culture... ▶KakaoTalk Channel: http://pf.kakao.com/_fxgiyxj