Yoo Jae-seok: "I quit smoking 20 years ago... I tried many times, but it was difficult" [You Quiz on the Block]

*This content was translated by AI.

Broadcaster Yoo Jae-seok spoke about quitting smoking.

On the 9th episode of tvN's variety program 'You Quiz on the Block', Lee Jun-seo, a hepatobiliary and pancreatic surgeon who has worked hard for nine years to overcome alcohol addiction, appeared as a guest.

That day, Lee Jun-seo recalled, "Don't you think your tolerance for alcohol increases? People tend to view it positively, but just as taking too many antibiotics can lead to resistance, so does drinking. Looking back, I realized that was an indicator of my slipping into alcohol addiction, yet I felt happy thinking I had become more tolerant."

He continued, "When I came to in the emergency room during my second year as a resident, I remember feeling a sense of liberation on days off because there were many consecutive shifts. There were dinners with professors, and I remember starting them, but when I woke up in the morning, my father was by an unfamiliar bedside. He had come after receiving a call from the police. I was found naked in a restroom at Incheon Station."

Lee Jun-seo then explained that he fell into burnout, had no time to sleep, and turned to alcohol to cope with difficult times. He emphasized, "It is dangerous when hardship, loneliness, and sadness become linked with alcohol. Breaking that link is what makes quitting so difficult."

Furthermore, Lee Jun-seo explained the criteria for distinguishing between a social drinker and an addict: "Seeing a beautiful flower on the street or looking at your daughter's drawing brings pleasure to everyone. However, you are not distressed the next day if the flower is gone, nor do you beg your daughter to draw another picture. But with alcohol, if it runs out while drinking, you feel distressed. That indicates dependency."

Yoo Jae-seok agreed, saying, "It seems to be the same with things other than alcohol. If you can't endure without it, that is addiction."

Later, Yoo Jae-seok said, "I used to smoke and quit 20 years ago. When I tried to quit smoking, I attempted it countless times. I would say, 'Let's just smoke five cigarettes a day.' But that didn't work well. It was difficult. I quit smoking by simply deciding, 'I will quit.' There may be a difference in degree compared to alcohol, but reducing gradually is not statistically easy."

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*This content was translated by AI.