'Soju should not exist': Surgeon warns of addiction risk from cheap, strong alcohol

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A practicing surgeon has issued a strong warning about the dangers of soju — a popular traditional Korean alcohol that is now mass manufactured — drawing on his own experience of severe alcohol addiction.

Lee Jun-suh, a hepatopancreatobiliary surgeon, appeared on the YouTube channel Doctor Dinho on Tuesday and said, "Soju is a drink that should not exist."

"Its alcohol content is far too high for its price, fueling alcohol addiction," he said.

Gastroenterologist Kim Tae-kyun agreed, saying, "At that price and concentration, shouldn't soju be considered a drug rather than an alcoholic beverage?"

Lee said, "Alcoholic drinks like this type of diluted soju are uncommon. The availability of soju makes it far too easy for people to drink alcohol."

Lee, who has overcome alcohol addiction, said he once underestimated the severity of his own dependence even while treating patients with end-stage liver and pancreatic diseases.

"Even as I treated terminally ill patients, I thought, 'I'm different from them,'" he said. "At the time, there was a social atmosphere in which people who didn't drink were treated as the exception."

Lee also shared an incident from his medical residency, when his addiction was particularly severe.

"After going several days without sleep, I drank Kaoliang liquor and was found half-naked in the men's restroom at Incheon Station early the next morning," he said. "I was taken to the emergency room because of my impaired consciousness."

Waking at 3 a.m. can be a warning sign

Lee said insomnia was the turning point that made him fully recognize his alcohol addiction.

"I realized how serious the situation had become when I started waking up at 3 a.m. every night," he said. "For me, insomnia was the biggest warning sign. Many European books on alcohol addiction also identify insomnia as a key symptom."

Kim said the connection between alcohol and sleep problems was particularly important.

"One of the most common excuses people with alcohol addiction give is that they can't sleep without drinking," he said.

"People who enjoy drinking really need to listen to this. It's the other way around. Alcohol makes insomnia worse. If you drink heavily, you can eventually develop this kind of painful insomnia."

Lee also singled out soju as a major factor contributing to alcohol addiction.

"Soju is by far the alcoholic beverage most commonly consumed by people with alcohol addiction," he said. "There is clear evidence that when soju prices rise, the incidence of alcohol-related liver cirrhosis falls."

He said many people with alcohol addiction do not recognize their condition.

"There are quite a few people who are addicted to alcohol without realizing it," he said. "I think people who call themselves alcohol lovers, people with alcohol dependence and people with alcohol addiction are essentially the same. They drink alcohol to relieve hangovers or always buy liquor at duty-free shops. People with those habits are definitely alcohol lovers and addicts."

Lee also warned against dismissing the possibility of addiction.

"If you watch a video like this and think, 'I'm not that bad,' you should start questioning yourself," he said.

Can cheap alcohol contribute to addiction?

A 360-milliliter bottle of soju sold at supermarkets or convenience stores in Korea typically costs between 1,200 won ($0.82) and 2,500 won, making it relatively inexpensive. Its alcohol content generally ranges from 15 to 16 percent.

Under Korean public health guidelines, men who consume seven or more shots of soju in a single sitting at least twice a week are classified as high-risk drinkers.

Although a causal relationship has been conclusively established, concerns that inexpensive alcoholic beverages may contribute to alcohol addiction have also been raised internationally.

A study by researchers at the University of Florida College of Medicine, published in the international journal "Addiction," found that increases in alcohol prices or taxes were associated with significant reductions in overall alcohol consumption, as well as reductions in heavy and binge drinking.

Specifically, the researchers found that a 1 percent increase in alcohol prices was associated with a 0.28 percent decline in heavy drinking.

Similar concerns have emerged in Japan over "Strong Zero," an inexpensive canned alcoholic beverage that has been criticized for potentially encouraging alcohol addiction among younger consumers.

A 500-milliliter can of the drink has an alcohol content by volume of 9 percent and sells for around 230 yen ($1.44), making it an affordable option for those seeking a strong alcoholic beverage.

Japanese media outlet Bungeishunju said some young women consume Strong Zero through straws as a way to become intoxicated quickly, raising concerns that such drinking patterns resemble aspects of substance addiction.

This article from Kormedi.com, Korea’s top health care and medical portal, is translated by a generative AI system and edited by The Korea Times.