'I don't want to quit': Treating gaming addiction in Japan

With more and more young people addicted to online video games, is there a way to treat the disease?

More and more young people are becoming addicted to online video games.

In a controversial decision last year the World Health Organization (WHO) classified it as a disorder. The WHO defines gaming disorder as "impaired control over gaming, increasing priority given to gaming over other activities, and continuation or escalation of gaming despite negative consequences."

Although this disorder can be found anywhere in the world and only affects a small number of people who play video games, one of the first countries to deal with the disorder is Japan.

Richard Graham: Why gaming addiction is on the rise

Psychiatrist Dr Richard Graham discusses why gaming is so addictive and how it can be treated.

The design of online games has reached a new level of sophistication, appealing to millions of people.

There are more than 2.3 billion active gamers in the world this year, of which almost half spend money on games. A recent report by the international games market research company Newzoo estimates that the global games market will reach $137.9bn in 2018, with digital revenues accounting for 91 percent.

As the gaming phenomenon grows, the World Health Organization (WHO) has identified a new disease - gaming disorder. The WHO defines the disorder as "a pattern of gaming behaviour with increasing priority given to gaming over other activities ... and continuation or escalation of gaming despite the occurrence of negative consequences.

How Juul made nicotine go viral

Since the first patent in 1930, electronic cigarettes have taken many shapes. At first they mimicked the packaging and physicality of cigarettes, with a cylindrical shape and light-up tip. Then they trended toward boxier designs, with low nicotine levels and high amounts of vapor. The Juul did things differently: it packed a high-nicotine, low vapor hit in a small, USB drive-shaped package, with a colorful range of flavors and a buttonless, intuitive design. It wasn't just a hot new e-cigarette — it was a hot new tech gadget. Now, middle schools and high schools across the US are nervous about how many kids are getting hooked on Juuls.

Gaming addiction: Are we asking the right questions?

Is gaming addiction a mental health issue or a distraction from valid questions surrounding technology development.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has decided to include "gaming disorders" in its 11th revision of internationally recognised diseases.

This addiction is described by the WHO as "a pattern of persistent or recurrent gaming behaviour" that may become so extensive that it "takes precedence over other life interests".

It’s not you. Phones are designed to be addicting.

Today’s phones are hard to put down. Push notifications buzz in your pocket, red bubbles demand attention, and endless distractions sit at your fingertips. It can feel impossible to pull away from. But that’s kind of the point. When people talk about the “attention economy,” they’re referring to the fact that your time and attention are the currency on which today’s applications make money. Because apps profit off of the total time you spend on their platform, there’s a strong incentive to use psychological tricks to keep you endlessly hooked. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Tristan Harris, who runs Time Well Spent, is working to create a world where platforms can more honestly respect their users’ time.

Horses of Misfortune

The story of two Moroccan men and how their obsession with betting on horses split their families apart.

Gambling - and particularly sports betting - has taken off around the world. But wagering money or something of value on the outcome of an event is nothing new. The origins of popular modern casino games go back decades if not centuries.

It's hard to quantify exactly what percentage of the gambling industry sports betting makes up - but it has become so popular that governments are reevaluating its legality. In some countries, illegal betting dens are still active - but you can also bet on your phone on the number of corners in a football match, winning margins in cricket, home runs in baseball and the score in the Super Bowl.

Inside Indonesia's Drug War

Indonesia's drug laws are some of the strictest in the world, but are long jail terms and capital punishment working?



Once only a transit point for drugs, Indonesia has become one of the key narcotics markets in the region.

The country has some of the strictest narcotics laws in the world, including capital punishment for drug traffickers.

The government argues that tough laws are needed because it claims that four million Indonesians are drug users and more than 30 addicts die from an overdose every day. But critics say the country is failing to address the issue.

Users and dealers are subject to the same harsh penalties - filling an overcrowded, corrupt prison system that is also awash with drugs.

Now, the country wants to rehabilitate 100,000 addicts a year using forced therapy, but can it work?

South Korea's Hangover

South Koreans drink twice as much liquor as Russians, but is this national obsession with alcohol reversible?




You might be surprised to know that the biggest alcohol consumers are not drinking in sub-zero Siberia; they are in South Korea.

South Koreans drink twice as much liquor as Russians and they consume more alcohol than any other nation.

Soju, a fermented-rice spirit, is king, with more than seven million bottles consumed every night.

Drinking is treated as the social lubricant to build workplace camaraderie, secure business deals and to earn trust.

Afghanistan's Billion Dollar Drug War

Afghan authorities are struggling to control the resurgence in poppy farming that feeds the habits of addicts worldwide.



It is the frontline of the war on drugs - and it is a battle authorities are losing.

Afghanistan's poppy fields, which feed the habits of drug addicts worldwide, are thriving, with cultivation of the crop hitting record highs last year.

With NATO troops pulling out and local law enforcement agencies ill-equipped and underfunded, production looks set to increase even further.

The number of Afghan addicts is soaring, and with the Taliban funded by the drug trade, security fears are paramount.

101 East travels to Afghanistan's poppy fields to investigate how Afghan authorities are struggling to control the resurgence in poppy farming, the implications for the global war on drugs, and what the future holds for this fragile nation.

Afghanistan's Billion Dollar Drug War

Afghan authorities are struggling to control the resurgence in poppy farming that feeds the habits of addicts worldwide.



It is the frontline of the war on drugs - and it is a battle authorities are losing.

Afghanistan's poppy fields, which feed the habits of drug addicts worldwide, are thriving, with cultivation of the crop hitting record highs last year.

With NATO troops pulling out and local law enforcement agencies ill-equipped and underfunded, production looks set to increase even further.

The number of Afghan addicts is soaring, and with the Taliban funded by the drug trade, security fears are paramount.