"Addict" (Prod. Girlnexxtdoor) by Sik-k (식케이), Sunday, August 8, 2021 (Trigger Warning: Discussion about Drugs and Alcohol)

Getting his start as a participant on Season 4 of the Korean Hip Hop talent show, Show Me the Money in 2015, Sik-K released his debut album the following year and has released music until his enlistment in June of 2020. Sik-k's brand of hip hop sounds much like the auto-tuned emo rappers popular in the U.S. market these days, like Machine Gun Kelly or Yungblood or other artists I don't feel at liberty to talk about because they're so Gen. Z. "Addict" is song about the speaker trying to numb his thoughts about a girl, though not the most beautiful in the bar, she has him in a trance that will not let the speaker sleep or get on with his life.

I CAN'T SLEEP SO I POP TWO PILLS. South Korea has extremely strict drug laws for its citizens and residents. Korean rappers will often add lines in songs about drugs or getting high, but the musicians who have been found to use drugs, are arrested. Stemming back to the the Opium Wars between the Great Britain and China, drugs have been taboo in Korea. Current policy states that citizens who are found to have used drugs overseas, even in the case that the substance is legal in the country it was used, face a five-year prison sentence. Illegal substances range from hard drugs like crystal meth to mild drugs like marijuana, which sees the majority of prosecution. Likewise, any resident or visitor who does drugs in Korea can be arrested and imprisoned. In many cases, the home country's embassy will not help the foreigner who broke the law. Since the '70s Korean actors and musicians have had scandal after scandal of celebrities jailed or fined for marijuana use. In recent years some of the top K-pop idols and rappers have been accused and convicted in drug-related incidents. From Big Bang's members G-Dragon, who smoked a suspicious cigarette during a party in Japan to T.O.P. who served ten months in prison, suspending his conscription during that time, for smoking marijuana the year before. 

AGAIN, REHABBING WITH MEMORIES. While marijuana use is complete unacceptable in Korea, Koreans, on average, drink the most liquor of any country--twice as much as Russia and four times as much as Americans. Embedded in work culture is 회식 (hoi-sik), which is a word meaning going out to eat with your company. While standards and practices are evolving, in the traditional sense of the word, 회식 means spending a night out with the boss, which can last until he wants to go home. 회식 is usually limited to the men in the office and involves drinking copious amounts of 소주 (soju), a liquor made from sweet potato, going to 노래방 or private karaoke rooms, and sometimes entertaining prostitutes. However, as workers rights have increased in the last few decades, this abusive power the boss has over his employees--to keep them until all hours of the night and then expect them back at work, shaved and showered by 8:30 a.m.--is changing. Still, alcohol consumption in Korea is still high. Whether it's a college gathering or a gathering of middle aged men or women, Koreans can't seem to get enough of the bitter drink. However, what is not tolerated is drunk driving. In America the legal drinking limit is 0.08; however, in 2019, Korea tightened its laws from 0.05 to 0.03. Being caught drinking and driving, Koreans and visitors can face imprisonment of 2-5 years and a 10-20 million won fine (roughly 10-20 thousand USD). 

WE DO PARENTHESIS WITH WEIRD EXCUSES. In this context the Seventh-day Adventist church built its ministry back in the late 1960s. As strict teetotalers, the church builds its ministry on spiritual and physical health. Church co-founder wrote about many foods and practices that could destroy ones health, and advocated a simple vegetarian diet free of caffeine, alcohol, sugar, and spices. However, with so many faucets of the Adventist message, health was one aspect either emphasized or neglected. Some Adventists eat spicy food, most eat sugar food. About half are vegetarians, some are vegan. However, what every Adventist must conform to is: no unclean meats (Leviticus 11) and no alcohol, despite the Bible's arguably nuanced approach to spirits. Starting in the mid-19th century, the Seventh-day Adventist church set up missions across the world, promoting health. Korea's history with Adventism starts with a hospital in Seoul, which expanded to a vegetarian meat corporation, and eventually schools, and language institutions. These language institutions drew tens of thousands of Koreans into the fold of the Adventist church. In order to keep the business, they needed missionaries to come and teach English. As per Korean government mandates, English teachers must have a Bachelor's Degree in any field, so these Adventist language schools started recruiting at Seventh-day Adventist universities in English-speaking countries. It was senior year of university that Allan paid a visit to the booth, meeting Seong-mi, who told him of how much taking a year off between college and work would mean to the people of Korea and to him as a teacher. "We don't offer as much money as a teaching job in the states, but we take care of housing and many teachers are able to pay off their college loans while working in Korea." "I'll definitely think about it," Allan said, taking the brochure before meeting up with James and River at the school cafe.

If you need resources about alcohol addiction in South Korea, Alcoholics Anonymous has branches in major South Korean cities. Their website says they support English and Korean speaker.  For other addictions, check out this website. If you're in another country and you struggle with addiction, please get help.