Date:   11/19/2003 9:40:27 AM ( 21 y ago)
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KOREA
Alcohol-fueled social intercourse has some element of compulsion By Hong Hye-gul (JoongAng Ilbo)
December 23, 2002
Korean drinking customs can be summed up in one phrase: "Drink until you get drunk." Korea is one of the rare countries around the world where a man or a woman's social competence is often judged by the person's capacity for alcohol.

There is always some sort of compulsion involved in drinking, and the results are obvious the next day when a person's daily routines and family role are disrupted. Drinking to excess often ruins interpersonal relationships, and in some cases it causes a breakdown of the family.

In other developed countries, the drinking culture is very different. There is no compulsion or even desire to get drunk;( are you a dreamer? - theprogramming nerd) while alcohol is a social lubricant, a couple of drinks will suffice to ease the stress of modern life. Some alcoholic drinks like wine are an important part of meals and are enjoyed as a complement to good food.

Today's drinking habits in Korea are also far from the traditions of our ancestors, who drank but were always conscious of their dignity. But in modern Korea, people tend to be generous to those, especially men, who leave their inhibitions behind when they drink.

Lee Jeong-gyun, a professor of medicine at Seoul National University, led a research team that studied the problem and concluded that Korea has the highest percentage of adult alcoholics in the world. The team calculated that just over one in five Korean adults are alcoholic, and said that is a warning about the perils of Korean drinking customs. A survey by the Ministry of Health and Welfare last February said 16 percent of Koreans are alcoholics, and that the number of women with the problem has risen dramatically since a 1984 survey on the subject.

The two surveys concluded that the rate of alcoholism in males dropped from 42 percent to 26 percent but the number of afflicted females rose from just over 2 percent to almost 7 percent. Both surveys were conducted using the criteria suggested by the American Mental Health Association; it uses a checklist of 11 effects, including the consumption of alcohol with the intent of reaching a state of intoxication and a failure to stop drinking after attempting to go on the wagon. Doctors say many patients are not aware of the seriousness of alcoholism. "It takes an average of six years for alcoholics to recognize their illness and ask for professional treatment," said Yun Myeong-sook, a professor of social welfare at Jeonbuk University. Many patients, she said, ask for counseling only after being fired from a job, having an auto accident while driving drunk or undergoing a breakup of one's family. Medically speaking, alcohol is less harmful than nicotine. According to health Science researchers at Harvard University, the probability of dying from nicotine-related illnesses is about four times greater than that of death from alcohol-related illnesses. But the physical suffering and mental aftereffects of alcohol abuse, the researchers said, is three times greater than that from smoking.

"The success rate in treating alcoholism increased for patients with families who were resolute from the very beginning," said Mr. Min. "When necessary, those families called for help from the police and even threatened divorce."

There has been a steady growth of alcoholism in Korea, and medical treatment should not be delayed in most cases. Perhaps the tradition of alcohol-fueled socializing has caused more and more people to suffer.

The only way to address this social problem is to change the common perception that one should drink in order to get drunk to one that alcohol in moderation is a pleasant accompaniment to conversation and personal interaction.

source: International Herald Tribune
full article



Kudzu
Pueraria lobata
Chinese alcoholism, drunkeness and hangover cure

Kudzu is fast-growing vine with large leaves and sweet-smelling blooms . The vines grow as much as a foot per day during summer months, climbing trees, power poles, and anything else they contact.
It's starchy root tubers have been used as a medication in China since 200 B.C. It has a special reputaation for combatting drunkeness, as noted in the Chinese Pharmacopeia of A.D.600
Research with laboratory animals at Harvard Medical School has revealed that a drug extracted from Kudzu root may help in the treatment of alcoholism.
When alcohol- loving rats were given kudzu either orally or by injection , they, too, drank about half as much as usual. The scientists also noted that kudzu suppressed alcohol's intoxicating effects after it entered the bloodstream, tending to confirm the ancient claim that taking kudzu before drinking alcohol helps stave off intoxication and hangovers.
In its native lands, the roots are also used to make a medicinal tea for treating dysentery and fever. In Japan, a kind of kudzu tofu is highly prized. The stems yield a fiber called ko-kemp that is useful in making cloth and paper. And, last but not least, the plant contains a chemical compound, daidzin, that has proven to be effective in suppressing the craving for alcohol.
When kudzu is present in a diet, it also prevents anyone from falling into an alcohol addiction.

In China , Kudzu is included in a "morning after tea" , known as xing-jiu-ling, which essentially means "sober up."
What makes kudzu especially appealing is its lack of side effects. No liver damage or nausea or vomiting.
Kudzu's toxicity is very low. Taking as much as 100 grams, or 3.5 ounces, has no adverse effects. Don't combine kudzu with prescription drugs unless your doctor okays it. In China kudzu is sold as a root or extract. In the United States you can buy extracts from a health food store. In China tablets are standardized so that milligrams equals 5 grams of crude root. Some experts haved advised taking one such standardized tablet two or three times a day to discourage drinking.

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