Addiction specialist Carl Erik Fisher discusses his research on 'non-substance addictions' and 'loss of control' in Korea, including the differences among Korean ministries over games and the shutdown policy.
NEWS TEXT: 'Manja Interview' is a section that carries full-length interviews. It conveys sources' thoughts and opinions on various issues without alteration.
Addiction physician and ethicist Carl Erik Fisher (associate professor in clinical psychiatry at Columbia University in the United States) showed his smartphone during the interview. Only the phone, text message, and mail apps were on a black-and-white screen.
'I set it up so I do not even react to smartphone temptations and cues. I do not want to play with it like a toy.
' He also called it 'a stance toward life in which you decide for yourself what to give your attention to. ' He was 'a person with addiction.
' In the mid-2000s, after coming to Seoul as a special research fellow at a neuroscience institute in Korea, he would 'drink soju by the bottle, straight from those small, pale-green bottles. ' After sobriety and rehabilitation, he became an addiction specialist.
His (Open Books), which he wrote over more than ten years for his own recovery, was named a 'Book of the Year' by the New York Times and the Boston Globe in 2022. This March, he came to Korea to study 'non-substance addictions' such as smartphones, screens, video games, and ultra-processed foods and junk foods.
We met on March 28 at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office. Fisher was also well acquainted with the differences among Korean ministries over games and the details of the shutdown policy. He knew a great deal about a range of issues in addiction and recovery, and even about his past connection with Monk Hyon Gak.
The following is a Q&A reflecting additional email exchanges. Article roadmap ① The next book's themes are 'non-substance addictions' and 'loss of control' ② In Korea, is Disorder a disease?
Stigma matters when discussing addiction ③ Cultural roles and personal beliefs also influence how addiction is defined ④ The history of the word addiction, aligned with devotion and worship ⑤ What does it mean for you to flourish?
⑥ Seeking support and help from someone is most important ⑦ We all experience addiction ⑧ Regulating the 'addiction supply industries' makes sense ⑨ Favor 'responsibility without blame' and compassion-based intervention over punishment ⑩ Expecting a Zen master, found a white monk··· a 'temple of shopping' beside a 'temple of the Buddha' also impressed ※For a condensed version of this article, please follow the link below.
- Purpose of your visit to Korea.
'I came to research my next book. The overarching theme is 'losing control.
' I want to probe what it means when a person loses control over their behavior. Beyond psychiatry, there is a lot of public discussion about loss of control over things other than drugs, that is, 'non-substance addictions.
' Smartphones, screens, video games, and ultra-processed or junk foods are representative examples. Korea is a very interesting place for this issue.
As I understand it, Korea was the first country in the world to legislate a regulation on video games: the 'shutdown system (mandatory shutdown),' the so-called 'Cinderella Law,' which blocked youth access to games late at night. I also know the law generated major controversy in Korea, and it is an interesting case that shows, beyond policy, how a society debates and works through a complex problem.
I came to learn how Korean experts, economists, and various policymakers understand 'behavioral addictions' (addiction not to a substance like a drug, but to an activity such as gaming, gambling, or shopping), and what it means to be addicted to a 'behavior.
' I want to hear people's views directly and reflect them in my research.
Carl Erik Fisher Non-Substance Addictions Loss Of Control Gaming Behavioral Addictions Korean Ministries Shutdown Policy Addiction Recovery Meaning Of Life
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