"Please Save My Son"... How One Addiction Destroyed an Entire Family [News Inside ⑤]

Drugs Destroy Both Individuals and Families
"Prevention, Treatment, and Rehabilitation Are All Essential"

"The end of drug use is either a psychiatric hospital, prison, or death." This is how broadcaster Seo Minjae (formerly known by a different name), who gained fame through a popular dating reality show, described her feelings after completing the Recovery Supporter Training Program at the Korea Association Against Drug Abuse. Seo, who became well-known as a mechanic hired through Hyundai Motor Company's university graduate recruitment program, said she lost everything she loved due to drug use. She was sentenced to 10 months in prison, suspended for 2 years, and her mother, who was a teacher, also quit her job.

The mother of a college student who used drugs confessed that she sometimes wanted to turn her son in to the authorities. Despite undergoing treatment, her son showed no improvement, and even threatened to kill himself if she did not give him money to buy drugs. She began to think it might be better if her son was in prison, where he would be unable to access drugs. She lives in constant fear that her son may never fully recover.

Many people believe that the character "ma" in the Korean word for "narcotics" refers to "devil" (魔), but in reality, it comes from the character meaning "numbness" (痲). While drugs can be considered a devil’s potion that destroys individuals and families, they are also substances that paralyze the thoughts and lives of users and their loved ones. What makes drugs so frightening is not only that they ruin the health and minds of users. Drugs are even more devastating because they inflict severe psychological anxiety and pain on the families of those who use them.

Park Youngdeok, former director of the Addiction Rehabilitation Center at the Korea Association Against Drug Abuse, lived as a drug addict for 25 years, even signing a waiver to relinquish his body and taking out loans to buy drugs. He then spent 22 years counseling drug addicts. Although he retired from his position as center director, he still serves as an advisory member, continuing his efforts to combat drug abuse. Among the many addicts he has counseled, Park noted that there were countless individuals who, on the surface, did not appear to be addicts at all. "Every day, students, office workers, and people who seem to lead ordinary lives come in for addiction counseling, and the number is simply overwhelming," he said.

Park also emphasizes prevention, treatment, and rehabilitation over punishment. For years, he has advocated for the removal of signs like "Drug Gimbap" from the streets. His aim is not only to prevent drug use through education, but also to ensure that young people do not develop any sense of familiarity with drugs in their daily lives.

He has also proposed that people who have served time for drug offenses should be given opportunities to work. Having observed drug users both as a former addict himself and as someone who has worked in the field, Park believes that this approach is more effective than having them return to crime or drug use simply to earn money.