Seo Eun-woo Confesses, "After Drug Overdose and Jumping, It Was Rather a Relief... The End Is Only Death"

"Drug Addiction, Feeling Like Dying but Keep Seeking"
"Lost Enjoyment in Favorite Food and Sex Life"
"Stopped After Jumping to Self-Harm"

Channel A's "Heart Signal 3" cast member Seo Eun-woo (formerly Seo Min-jae). Photo by Seo Eun-woo Instagram

Reality dating show contestant Seo Eun-woo (formerly Seo Min-jae) from 'Heart Signal 3' recalled the time when she was using drugs.

On the 29th, Seo Eun-woo posted a message titled "I am a drug offender" on her social media (SNS). In the post, she said, "Drugs destroy the brain. This is not a metaphorical expression; they actually damage certain parts of the brain," adding, "Our brain has a reward circuit that makes life feel worth living, which is necessary for survival. It can be understood as the motivation that drives humans to go about their daily lives and social activities."

She continued, "The most important element here is dopamine, and drugs abnormally and excessively produce dopamine to maximize pleasure," explaining, "Once you use drugs even once, you need to use more and more frequently to feel the same effect. However, increasing the amount and frequency shortens the duration of the effect and only increases the side effects. To escape this, the body demands more drugs."

She added, "That is how one becomes addicted. Addicts who have experienced fake happiness from all that dopamine can no longer find joy in everyday life," stating, "For chronic addicts, even their favorite foods or sexual activities, which are representative human pleasures, no longer bring enjoyment. They feel no excitement from anything that used to make them smile or happy. So they seek drugs?not because they like it or want to do it again, but because they feel like they will die without it."

Furthermore, she said, "Having experienced an overwhelming fake happiness that the body had never felt before, as soon as the effect ended, everything about me felt unsatisfactory. Everything in the world felt bothersome, tiring, depressing, and unhappy," elaborating, "The biggest problem was the loss of desire for sleep and food. I was awake almost all week. Even though I was extremely tired, I couldn’t fall asleep, and any food I ate felt like chewing on newspaper. Even water wouldn’t go down. I was truly in a state just before dying of dehydration."

In conclusion, she reflected, "I think it was rather fortunate that I wrote about my drug use on SNS a week after using drugs and then self-destructed by jumping. Thanks to that, I was able to stop. The more I studied addiction, the more I am convinced that if nothing had happened to me that day, I would have become a chronic addict and faced a far more terrible end than now. The end of drugs is either a psychiatric hospital, prison, or death," she confessed.

Meanwhile, Seo Eun-woo gained recognition by appearing on Channel A’s variety show 'Heart Signal Season 3' in 2020. At that time, she was noted as the first female mechanic hired through a major corporation’s college recruitment. However, in May 2023, methamphetamine was detected in her system through a precise analysis by the National Forensic Service, leading to her downfall as a drug offender. Afterwards, determined to live a new life, she changed her name from Seo Min-jae to Seo Eun-woo and admitted all charges against her. In January of this year, she was finally sentenced to 10 months in prison with a 2-year probation period.