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 <The History of Addiction> (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.

※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.”

Addiction specialist Carl Erik Fisher believes “addiction is everyone’s problem.” He said “connection, holistic support, and plural solutions matter more than regulation, prohibition, or stigma.” Recovery, he added, should be “a process of rediscovering ‘the meaning of life.’” Fisher is photographed at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office on March 28. Photo by reporter Kim Jong-mok

- Whom did you meet?

“From a Korean literature professor to economists, psychiatrists, and people working in the game industry, I met a wide range. My main interest for this visit was gaming and broader issues around internet use. Opinions truly varied. As with the differences in perspective between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism on games, people held firm views. That was fine, even good. People tend to be immersed in their own specialty, but I was able to learn from each person’s distinct domain and, by comparing those fragments, sketch a more complete picture.”

- The last question was supposed to be about your next book. (laughs) One of our advance questions was also about how, in Korea, the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism took opposing positions and fought a policy battle over Gaming Disorder, and you brought it up first. The Ministry of Health and Welfare seeks to classify Gaming Disorder as a ‘disease’ under the World Health Organization’s ICD-11, which took effect in 2022, while the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism worries about industry contraction and stigma.

“This policy debate is interesting. WHO’s ICD-11 classifies game-related problems as ‘Gaming disorder.’ My main academic fields are law and philosophy. In those fields, we focus on ‘words,’ because meaning matters a lot. In a housing dispute, for example, a single word in a contract can change the entire situation. The word choices in this policy debate are likewise fascinating. Watching the Korean debate, the word I noticed was ‘Disease.’ The ICD term is not ‘Disease’ but ‘Disorder.’ They are different. ‘Disorder’ means a state in which a system is ‘out of order.’ It may relate to the brain, but it does not necessarily mean a brain problem. I believe ‘Stigma’ is extremely important when discussing addiction. In my first book, <The History of Addiction>, I devoted substantial space to the words we use when we describe addiction. Some terms are like a ‘Double-edged sword’ in English: they have benefits and drawbacks. As the book notes, in the traditional history of addiction, calling it a ‘disease’ helps some but harms others. The core question, ultimately, is ‘What is a disease?’ I do not think medicine has all the answers, but as a physician I see that we have rich and valuable information. Science certainly helps. It does not tell the whole story. That is why we need dialogues that include culture, public health, economics, governance, and above all people with lived experience. In the West, it is more common for people with histories of addiction to share their experiences and for that to help shape policy. Otherwise, policy can drift into Paternalistic interference. This matters to me, yet I am cautious about saying what Korea should do. It is not for me to decide. I came to learn about Korean society, so I aim to remain humble. I am not a Korea expert, so I am not in a position to say what is right or wrong; I simply want to observe why these debates happen and why different ministries in the Korean government struggle to reach consensus. In fact, many cultures face this. The capacity for constructive debate is fraying in civil society, governance, and government. At least in the United States and Europe, that is so. Politics is becoming more polarized across many countries and within governments. The conflict between the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in Korea seems like one instance of such polarization.”

- How much have you learned about Korea’s addiction issues?

“As I meet people in Korea, I am gradually learning about Korea’s addiction issues. As I understand it, Korea is at a stage where social interest in addiction is rapidly growing. It is very encouraging to see psychiatrists and experts who treat addiction forming societies and coming together. From children to adults, it is necessary to share diverse strategies, resources, and perspectives to address this issue. I am also aware of changes in Korea’s drug trends. Traditionally, alcohol use disorder has loomed large, but more recently issues related to opioids (narcotic analgesics) have begun to emerge.”

- Are there differences between East and West, or among countries, in addiction issues?

“It is very important for countries to look at each other’s cases and learn. Differences in the patterns of addiction between East and West, or among countries, are only natural. They must be, because addiction is not merely a medical or brain problem and cannot be explained by simplistic ‘Reductionism.’ As I emphasized in the book, it is dangerous to oversimplify phenomena and reduce them to a single element. We must recognize how much culture and personal beliefs matter when defining the meaning of addiction. Societies differ in their spiritual or religious legacies and in how they view will and self-control. Individuals’ relationships with society, obligations within families, and senses of responsibility to community also differ by country. When these cultural contexts differ, understandings of addiction naturally differ as well. They constantly influence each other. Mental disorders arise from an intricate interplay among biological, psychological, and social levels. This is precisely why I came to Korea: to learn how Koreans understand these issues. It is not that one side is more right or wrong. When we look at the same subject from different perspectives, we can come closer to its reality. In technical terms, we ‘Triangulate.’ By illuminating a problem from multiple angles, we can grasp its essence more accurately.”

Carl Erik Fisher speaks about addiction at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office on March 28. Photo by reporter Kim Jong-mok

- Do you know about Korea’s addiction issues? Are there EastWest or cross-national differences in addiction?

“Yes, as I meet people in Korea, I am gradually learning about Korea’s addiction issues. As I understand it, Korea is at a stage where social interest in addiction is rapidly growing.. It is very encouraging to see psychiatrists and experts who treat addiction forming societies and coming together. From children to adults, it is necessary to share diverse strategies, resources, and perspectives to address this issue. I am also aware of changes in Korea’s drug trends. Traditionally, alcohol use disorder has loomed large, but more recently issues related to opioids (narcotic analgesics) have begun to emerge. It is very important for countries to look at and learn from one another’s cases. Differences in the patterns of addiction between East and West, or among countries, are only natural.. They must be, because addiction is not merely a medical or brain problem and cannot be explained by simplistic ‘Reductionism.’ As I emphasized in the book, it is dangerous to oversimplify phenomena and reduce them to a single element. We must recognize how much culture and personal beliefs matter when defining the meaning of addiction. Societies differ in their spiritual or religious legacies and in how they view will and self-control. Individuals’ relationships with society, obligations within families, and senses of responsibility to community also differ by country. When these cultural contexts differ, understandings of addiction naturally differ as well. They constantly influence each other. Mental disorders arise from an intricate interplay among biological, psychological, and social levels. This is precisely why I came to Korea: to learn how Koreans understand these issues. It is not that one side is more right or wrong. When we look at the same subject from different perspectives, we can come closer to its reality. In technical terms, we ‘Triangulate.’ By illuminating a problem from multiple angles, we can grasp its essence more accurately.”

Smartphone addiction illustration. Artist Kim Sang-min

- You did not cover social media addiction in the book. What is your view on this? In the book, you treated addiction as a ‘spectrum.’ Should we consider treatment for modern smartphone or social media addiction on the same continuum as drug addiction..

“It is a fascinating question. There is fierce global debate on this, and countries respond differently. A recent example is Australia’s ban on children using social media, and just yesterday (March 26) in California, the giants Meta and Alphabet lost a major trial over the addictiveness of social media. Users argued ‘these products made me addicted to Instagram and Facebook,’ and the big companies lost. It is reminiscent of clams once made against tobacco companies. We tend to hold old and narrow views of addiction. In fact, the word ‘Addiction’ goes back to Shakespeare’s era and has very broad meanings. Coined by philosophers and theologians, it shares a lineage with ‘Devotion’ and ‘Worship.’ The idea is that when you devote yourself wholly to something, it begins to govern you. It is not inherently positive or negative. You can devote yourself to journalism or public service, or you can give yourself over to vice. Today we casually say we are ‘addicted’ to a TV show or candy, which shows how varied our ways of understanding addiction are. Social media in particular is highly complex. The psychological and neural mechanisms differ entirely between someone who actively creates content, like an idol or influencer, and someone who simply scrolls other people’s posts on the subway all day. Alcohol can be described by a simple molecule, but social media has many different causes. As a father raising a son, I am cautious about laws that regulate youth use of social media. Children differ, so I do not believe there is a ‘universal right answer,’ but concerns about excessive screen exposure are real. I would like to explain a psychological concept called ‘Experiential avoidance.’ From mindfulness-based therapies, it means that when humans feel uncomfortable or anxious emotions, they naturally tend to avoid them. Asking ChatGPT ‘I have a stomachache, is it cancer?’ or drinking to forget social anxiety are all forms of ‘experiential avoidance.’ What worries me is that smartphones and social media may deprive us of the opportunity to learn how to ‘stay with uncomfortable feelings and exist as ourselves.’ Scientific data is not yet sufficient and technology keeps changing, so it is hard to be definitive. But on legal regulation I want to say one clear thing. Politicians often pass a very simple ‘feel-good’ law. Mental health is not that simple. To solve complex problems, ‘Holistic solutions’ and ‘Pluralistic solutions’ that address multiple factors at once are essential. Rather than merely banning social media or drugs, we need comprehensive support for housing, employment, social services, community connection, and joyful leisure. Simple, narrow regulations only give people the illusion that something useful has been done. What must follow, after any bill passes, is genuine, comprehensive investment in mental healththat is the key point.”

- You have said, “Recovery is not merely quitting a substance but a process of rediscovering ‘the meaning of life.’” That seems to apply to most people.

“In medicine we often focus too much on ‘stopping’ itself. Physicians also tend to want to control patients. So saying ‘you must stop right now’ can feel, for a physician, like giving the answer and feel good. Of course, it can be highly appropriate advice. If your liver enzymes are severely abnormal, you should quit drinking; if you have lung problems, you should stop smoking. I, too, am firm in recommending cessation when a patient recognizes they are harming themselves. But we must be realistic. Many do not want to stop, or they feel unable to stop. The true measure of health in this area should be ‘How is the person living their life?’ What do they value, where do they find meaning, what makes them flourish? ‘What is happiness for you?’ ‘What does it mean for you to flourish?’ These are deep and important questions. I do not believe mental health professionals should impose ‘this is the answer, live this way.’ What psychiatrists or counselors can do is create space for people to explore those questions and find their own answers. Research on recovery from substance use disorders shows that when people have other forms of support in place, recovery effects last much longer. In academia this is called ‘Recovery Capital.’ It means all the resources that sustain a person’s recovery. It is not just personal willpower. It includes social connection, employment, life stability, family, and further, a sense of direction, purpose, and meaning. When helping people with substance problems, I think it is most important to provide and strengthen this ‘recovery capital.’”

On October 3, 2024 (local time), a man intoxicated by drugs (right) is unsteady and standing awkwardly on O’Farrell Street in the Tenderloin, San Francisco. Around him, people sit in a row, moving very slowly or motionless. San Francisco | Reporter Kim Song-yi

- What is the smallest act of self-care that people suffering in the mire of addiction can put into practice today?

“This is a good psychiatric question that I also ask my patients, because however great their pain, patients are the foremost experts on themselves. We often ask like this: ‘If a perfect, fully abstinent state is 10 points and today you are at 2, what would move you to 3?’ Ten may look too far away, but going from 2 to 3 feels doable. Then patients find their own answers: ‘I will not go to that Bar where I always feel tempted today,’ or ‘I cannot be perfect, but I will drink at home and reduce the amount a bit.’ In the end, the smallest self-care you can do today is the act of asking yourself ‘What is the smallest kindness I can do for myself right now?’ For those who are truly lost and urgently need someone’s guidance, I want to say this: ‘Find someone to talk to.’ People experiencing addiction often hesitate to open up because of deep shame and fear. But in fact you are not alone, and there are many places in Korea to seek help: mental health advocates and organizations, professional counselors, anonymous recovery fellowships (12-step meetings), and online communities. There is not a single road to recovery. A trusted advisor, a family member, or a friend can be fine. The key is not trying to handle it alone. Seeking help and support from someone is the most important and most powerful principle of recovery. It is truly too hard to carry alone.”

A drug addiction recovery participant (a person working toward recovery) sits in distress in a drug-ward lounge. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photoA drug addiction recovery participant sits in distress in a drug-ward lounge. Kyunghyang Shinmun file photo

- Having struggled with addiction yourself, what has helped you as a physician?

“Personally experiencing addiction has been enormously helpful to my life as a physician. Through that process I learned firsthand how people deceive themselves and resist. I was very arrogant thn. I thought I was special. I was at Columbia’s medical school, sweeping up awards and achieving a lot. I believed ‘someone like me could not be an addict.’ I thought people with addiction were of a far lower sort. That was completely wrong. Addiction does not work that way. Addiction problems arise on many levels. My mind then used the defense mechanism commonly called Denial to deceive me into believing ‘I have no problem at all.’ The experience taught me humility. It made me more humble about what I do and do not know. In the traditions of psychiatric treatment there are negative aspects of being overly certaininsisting ‘this alone is the answer and the only method that works.’ I have met many excellent, open-minded psychiatrists in Korea and the United States, but not all doctors are like thatᄃᆞ. I believe the medical field needs deeper curiosity about patients’ experiences. My own addiction experience also helps me connect emotionally with patients. Patients often look at a doctor and think, ‘up there on a pedestal, the doctor will not understand someone like me dealing with these bottom-rung problems.’ When they learn that physicians, like many others, have suffered and struggled, patients can glimpse hope. Sharing my own story in ways that give them hope is something I also want to do.”

- Although many societies say addiction is an issue that concerns everyone, they often otherize people with addiction.

“I think humans have a very deep, instinctive drive to divide into ‘us and them.’ It is the urge to draw a line and confirm one’s identity by saying ‘they are bad, so I am not a bad person.’ This tendency is a very old human habit. It appears across politics, religion, every type of conflict and struggle. Deep within the human mind dwell greed, hatred, and delusion. There is no grand answer. Still, finding connections and commonalities between us is the only path to transcend such greed, hatred, and delusion. In that sense, it helps to acknowledge that ‘we all have addictions.’ When we recognize addiction as a universal human problem, we stop seeing it as someone’s moral failing. Instead we say, ‘I could be in that place. This could happen to me too.’:

- Your book refers several times to the ancient Greek concept of ‘Akrasia.’ Modern society incessantly stimulates human desire. What philosophical stance is needed to live with dignity amid such temptation?

“Akrasia means ‘weakness of will,’ acting in the face of immediate temptation even while knowing it will harm oneself. It shows well that addiction is everyone’s problem. For some, it appears in small ways, like eating a bit more candy even after a doctor advised avoiding sugar. We may not call a person with diabetes who eats a bit too many sweets ‘addicted’ right away, but from a Greek philosophical perspective, it is clearly akrasia. We should consider this philosophically because it gives us a frame of thinking to cope with the problem. When we acknowledge that everyone has such a frail tendency, we become careful about situations that might tempt us. I do not fully trust myself either. I do not think I am addicted to my smartphone, but I manage it so I do not react to its temptations or cues. My phone screen is set to grayscale so it does not feel interesting. I do not read news on it and use it only as a tool (calls, texts). The aim is not to trigger the inner tendency to make bad choices. That is, rather than relying only on ‘willpower,’ we build an ‘environmental support system.’ This also links to the ‘war on drugs’ or ‘regulating social media.’ Typically, a ‘war on drugs’ focuses only on prohibition (Stop), but historically prohibition alone has never been sufficient. Of course, for very dangerous drugs or highly addictive behaviors like gambling, strong, commonsense regulation is necessary. In the United States, sports betting once confined to places like Las Vegas spread indiscriminately via smartphones and became a major social issue, and I wrote a critical column about it. But regulation alone cannot solve everything. We must pair it with the ‘Holistic support’ I mentioned earlier. The biggest lesson from history is that simple prohibition without appropriate treatment and social support produces larger side effects and harms.”

Author Carl Erik Fisher of <The History of Addiction> holds the original (‘The Urge: Our History of Addiction‘) and the translation. Photographed at the Kyunghyang Shinmun office on March 28. Photo by reporter Kim Jong-mok

- As with the U.S. opioid crisis, where giant capital (pharmaceutical firms) helped foment addiction, what should politicians or the media correct first to address such structural problems?

“Recognizing the role of industry in addiction is crucial. The World Health Organization (WHO) and policymakers call industries that sell harmful products like alcohol and tobacco ‘Harmful commodity industries,’ and in my book I called them ‘Addiction supply industries.’ The tobacco industry is emblematic. They sell products designed to shape and manipulate human desire. Industry has a traditional and powerful playbook for advancing its interests. That does not mean they are necessarily ‘evil’ or ‘bad people.’ Firms behave as designed, to maximize shareholder value. We must see that clearly. Economics calls the costs that arise when a given industry sells problematic products ‘Externalities’costs borne by someone else while the company takes profits. A firm profits from selling cigarettes, but the cost of treating lung cancer patients is ultimately borne by government (taxpayers). This is why large lawsuits and regulations against tobacco companies gained legitimacy. Therefore, imposing commonsense regulation on harmful commodity industries is very reasonable. Regarding the media’s role, limiting marketing and advertising in appropriate contexts is entirely sound. As for gambling, some countries strictly regulate gambling ads; the United States leaves them completely open. Countless U.S. stadiums are plastered with online betting ads. By contrast, as I understand it, gambling ads are illegal in Korea, an example of cross-national and industry differences. The bottom line is this: companies will always strive, as designed, to sell more and make money. If a product can harm people, society stepping in to control and manage it is normal and reasonable.”

- You studied addiction as a psychiatrist. When you yourself became addicted, you must have felt a gap between theory and practice.

“The difference between theory and reality I felt through experience was vast. It is sometimes called the ‘Quality Chasm’ in health care: the gulf between ‘theory’scientific data and standard treatment guidelinesand ‘clinical practice’ on the ground. Tis is an ‘implementation problem’ facing health systems worldwide, not only in Korea. The most painful gap I felt was that ‘integration of care’ was not happening at all. The medical field tends to completely separate addiction care from other, general care: ‘addiction patients over there,’ ‘mental health issues over here,’ ‘general internal medicine over there.’ The truth is that all these problems are intertwined. No patient exists as a ‘disease’ alone. Patients are whole persons whose diet, exercise, social relationshipsevery life factorinfluence recovery. As I wrote in the book, when I finished addiction treatment and returned to Columbia to continue training, I was first assigned a psychotherapy patient, a young man who came in with an alcohol problem. Compared with my own past, it was far milder. He wanted to change, and I judged I could help, and I reported to my supervisor. But that excellent psychiatrist said, because he was not an ‘addiction specialist,’ ‘No, his substance problem is too severe, send him elsewhere.’ I thought that was poor carenot because the supervisor was bad, but because the system was designed that way. Addiction and mental health were split too dichotomously. Because of such systems, patients who desperately want help are rejected here and there, bouncing around like a pinball. That is why I now name ‘integrated care’ as a top priority for the medical field.”

- Some argue that defining addiction as both a disease and a social phenomenon weakens personal responsibility.

“The word responsibility is broad and important. Speaking as someone who has experienced addiction, people do harm others in the course of addiction: drunk driving, accidents, even theft. Responsibility is therefore central to recovery. Many recovery communities, including the ‘Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)’ 12-step program, have a tradition of taking responsibility for past actions and seeking ways to be of service to others. Explaining addiction from a medical perspective does not erase responsibility. The medical lens only tells us what helps recovery and what role medicine can play.”

- In Korea, there is strong public sentiment for zero tolerance and harsh punishment for drug crimes. How do you view the claim that prioritizing treatment over punishment is being soft on crime?

“I understand Korean public opinion. If you argue that the punishment-centered ‘war on drugs’ failed, you may be criticized for being too lenient on crime. I would draw on the concept from philosopher Hanna Pickard of Johns Hopkins: ‘Responsibility without blame.’ It means holding people responsible for their actions without condemning them as ‘bad people’ or ‘incurable patients.’ The traditional ‘war on drugs’ leans too heavily on ‘blame.’ I am not saying we should not hold people responsible. In appropriate and necessary situations, they should be held to account. But we must do ‘responsibility’ and ‘provision of treatment’ at the same time. Punishment and treatment are not an eitheror; they are two pillars that should proceed together toward one goal: recovery.”

- Some say families or society should intervene forcibly, even restricting the liberty of people with addiction.

“What is the family’s role in recovery? Research shows that most people who enter treatment for addiction do so under some form of coercion. Coercion here does not mean only legal arrest or involuntary hospitalization. A spouse saying ‘I will leave if you do not get treatment’ is also a form of coercion. Such interventions exist everywhere and can help in some cases and harm in others, a double-edged sword. The phrase ‘forcibly restricting liberty’ worries me a bit, because it depends how far restrictions go. For example, in the United States, if someone is addicted to expensive substances like cocaine or methamphetamine, it can be very risky for them to have a lot of cash on hand. With the person’s consent, a spouse taking over the household finances and giving the person an ATM card loaded only with daily lunch money can be a ‘Compassionate intervention.’ Day to day it may feel like a loss of freedom, but it is an appropriate step that blocks a source of temptation and protects the person. Families do not have to use ‘physical force’ to help. It is desirable that families feel responsible within the overall recovery system and find ways to help. Intervention is most effective not as suppression of a person’s liberty, but within a ‘Collaborative structure’ where clinicians, treatment programs, the person, and family work together.”

<The History of Addiction>what would you like to revise now?

“As I am writing the next book, there are many areas I naturally want to expand. This connects to social media addiction. When writing the first book, I wanted to include ‘behavioral addictions’ such as gambling, sex, food, money, shopping, and even consumerism. But it was far too much to fit into the first book. So through the next book I aim to expand those issues in earnest. What we have learned as physicians treating addiction, and the general principles people in recovery have discovered, can substantially help address these major social problems. The wisdom of addiction treatment may not be a perfect answer to everything, but it will surely offer meaningful milestones for tackling our era’s larger challenges.”

- Do you still see patients?

“I see patients directly in a private clinic, mostly one-to-one psychotherapy. I devote a lot of time to writing, but time focused on patients’ lives is also very important to me. The heart of care is not merely to ‘stop’ addiction, but to help people rediscover flourishing and meaning in their lives. Only then can positive change endure.. In fact, the entire book I am working on now is connected to these questions: ‘What is recovery?’ ‘What does it mean for a life to flourish?’ There is a slogan often used in addiction medicine these days: ‘Many Pathways to Recovery.’ For some, a 12-step program like ‘Alcoholics Anonymous (AA)’ is powerful and useful; for others, it may not fit or may even feel off-putting. Opportunities for recovery are everywhere. It may be through a physician, through religion, or through another service program. From my work with patients, this is what I most want to share: the path toward positive change is never singular, and the dimensions of life in which we can seek change are very diverse.”

- It took ten years to write <The History of Addiction>. Why so long?

“The answer is surprisingly simple: I began solely for myself. I needed to ask questions to recover. The fundamental question was ‘What on earth happened to me?’ I thought I knew myself and believed I understood psychiatry. I was even doing brain science research, yet addiction came upon me like an ambush. Addiction is so complex that people argue endlessly over the small parts they each see. I wanted intellectually and practically sound answers for how to understand this problem and what it means. Research that I began to understand myselfslowly accumulated and evolved into ‘I should write a book; it would be useful to share this with people.’ I did not wake up one day and think ‘I will write a book!’it was a slow evolution.”

- There is a lot about Buddhism in the book. Was it very helpful?

“I am a Buddhist. Meditation is a truly important part of the recovery journey. In fact, my practice began here in Korea. I started going to Hwagyesa when Monk Hyon Gak was there. There is a funny story. Coming to Korea, I had this fantasy that I would meet and learn from an ancient, long-bearded Zen Master. But the person I met turned out to be a white man from the same home state as me (New Jersey). (laughs) It shattered my fixed idea of what ‘Buddhist practice should be.’ But at the time I was drinking so heavily that I struggled to meditate. Alcohol interfered with meditation. Quitting and entering recovery with a clear mind was a great gift for me. As life stabilized, I could re-immerse myself in practice. Meditation remains the most important principle supporting my recovery. On this visit I went to Jogyesa, and also to Bongeunsa near COEX in Gangnam. Seeing a ‘temple of shopping (COEX Mall)’ right beside a ‘temple of the Buddha’ was striking. The view from the hill over the forest of skyscrapers was beautiful. The unique incense scent of Korean temples, the wooden gong, and the sounds of ritual instruments feel very familiar and positive to me. I plan to return whenever I can.”

- What has been the greatest reward after publishing the book?

“Connection with people. That includes this very conversation with you, and meeting readers who email to say the book helped them. The sense that something I shared was useful to someonethat is the best reward. It is also a great joy to connect with other writers and communities who aim to share helpful information. As you know as a journalist, receiving feedback on what we make is wonderful.”

- Any message you would like to emphasize for readers in Korea?

“Many people still suffer from addiction and from losing control. People always want ‘answers’: ‘What exactly is the cause? Who is the villain? Is it the drugs? Society? Politicians?’ They look for a clear target. People love simple answers. There is a tongue-in-cheek coinage that mocks this: Monocausal Taxophiliathe tendency to cling to a single cause that explains everything. But complex social problems like addiction can never be explained by a single cause or a single solution. So we must be humble. We should pause and consider a whole perspective. This will not be a ‘sexy answer’ popular with the public. In the self-help section, you see endless simple claims like ‘Do this one thing and you will be healthy’ or ‘Your energy will be perfect.’ But when discussing how society should respond to addiction, there is no message more important than pausing to see the whole picture. In the end, to answer the huge question ‘What is addiction?’ I had to write an entire book. It is that complex. I learned a lot from the questions today. Thank you for the opportunity to share my thoughts.”