How to Stop Watching Kdramas: Self Help for Korean Drama Addicts

As Vivi mentioned in her post, Lee Min Ho Baby, sometimes we like to reverse stalk our readers to see what search terms bring them to us. One of the funniest search terms I've seen was "how to stop watching kdramas". Some poor kdrama addict finally reached the breaking point and needed an intervention! Several kdrama blogs have talked about the stages of getting addicted to a Korean drama, or the signs of being addicted to kdramas, but they offered no advice on how to break this terrible cycle. I'd venture to guess that most of our readers have no desire to change their ways, but this post is for those searching to get a semblance of their pre-kdrama lives back.

Here is the process you must go through to overcome you kdrama addiction for good:

1. Admitting that you have a problem



2. Recognizing a higher power that can give you strength


3. Seeking the help of experienced kdrama recoverers


4. Making amends with the ones your kdrama addiction has hurt


5. Learning to live a new life with a new code of kdrama behavior


Have you ever been so addicted to kdrama that it interfered with your life? What are some things you do to keep your addiction to kdrama in check? Comment below.

Comments

  1. This is so cool! But seriously, I think it all depends on the level of addiction and the willingness to do something about it. I guess as one becomes a 'seasoned kdrama watcher' then eventually you will be able to develop certain habits which will eventually become 'restrictions' in the whole watching thing. Like when you become older in the whole kdrama thing, you will sort of become picky at some point, not really munching on anything that comes under your radar. you tend to read more about it, check the ratings and what the kdrama watching community actually thinks about it, and then you decide if your taking it or not. and then, that's where the addiction gets controlled i guess. well at least that's what happened to me. :)

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    1. You're right. I'm definitely more picky about what I watch now.

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  2. I have totally googled help with korean drama addiction! Being picky IS super helpful which is exactly why I read kdrama blogs and reviews. I also like to think ahead what I have going on in the future. If there is a week or two that I know will be REALLY busy at home, with friends, at work, etc. I just don't start a new drama during that time and finish off any shows on my mind beforehand. If there is a week or two that I know will be slow and boring, I bring up my kdrama queue and decide which one sounds best. This has definitely been the best tactic for me. Honestly, telling myself I can only watch one episode a day is just not going to happen!

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  3. The most fool-proof way?

    BEING A SENIOR IN COLLEGE!

    God, I'm so pissed at the fact that I have not watched a SINGLE episode of Korean drama since winter break in Jan. That's a travesty! But I'm sure as hell matching up for it now! Got through three movies and half a series since I graduated on Friday (17th). lol

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    1. Yeah that is one benefit of being done with school!

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    2. I know how hard it is been a kdrama addict and going to school. I was doing our Masters in Computer Sciences so I had no time to watch dramas...so I had Drama binges EVERY summer and after the last exam I went crazy. I only slept 3 hours each day. GOOD times! Now that I am working i think I am now in control...HA HA. yeah right!

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  5. I was fortunate enough to be done with school before I started watching. But now I'm facing a real challenge I'm going back to school. I'm just going to try and follow only 2 or 3 series a week. No more marathoning.

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  6. i know im addicted to kdrama cuz i start and finsh a drama in a day or 2 but i know when is the time to watch and when is the time to study . but i cant watch one ep a day that is like hell.

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  7. you may call me totally addicted to kdrama it all start when i was so bored so surfing here and there , watch my first kdrama series ( flower boy next door) then i get more and more ,i finish a series in 1 day then want more it really affected my life some time i fell asleep during watching it for more than 12 hours :o i know its crazy even during my final exams i watched it :s i know I've gone too far but what shall i do :|

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  8. This is so funny and yes... i've been praying to k-drama gods to stop this addiction.. hahaha I've come across a post before like how to detect if ur a kdrama addict, and yes, all 5 items described me! And now, i have turned into a hermit ao this should help.. but this is so funny.. i was laughing the entire time i was reading this.

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    1. It helps if you are critical of what you watch, but I have watched some REALLY stupid kdrama and I would still have to finish them. my reason? I needed to know what I hated about the drama. That is how addicted I am. I use winter as an excuse also. Oh I pray for blizzard and snow days...ha ha. SORRY!

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  9. Nice tips. :D I can't help myself from chuckling because I am in that very situation this very moment. I just finished watching Coffee Prince a week ago but I am still in this kdrama fog that my husband thinks I might be having an affair cuz I smile like a high school teen at random moments, and keeps re-watching my favorite scenes. I have to teach a 4-hour class tomorrow and instead of focusing on making my powerpoint presentation, I am listening to a Pimsleur language learning audio of the Korean language to try to get a more in-depth feel of the voice and intonation of the actors' lines in the series. Now, I am planning to learn Korean .... oh good grief, help me Kdram gods! LOL

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  10. OMG! I am going to be a Junior in high school, that too an IB School, and I've decided to stop watching k-dramas until graduation. School starts next week for me, and I don't know how this is going to go, but PlEASE GOD STOP THIS ADDICTION! It's crazy! This one time I stayed up the whole night marathoning a Taiwanese drama, In Time With You. I was up the whole night! Jesus! Wish me luck, kD-Addicts!!! I really need to stop, and if I don't, my life will be in ruin. I need to learn to control my actions. :(( Sad life this is. I never regretted one time, that I discovered these k-dramas, but now I kinda wish I never even discovered kpop to begin with. Its something thats become a part of my life, but also something thats ruining it. I need to Stop, I need to stop.

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    1. Neeru...As a fellow addicted student. I will say don't stop watch cold turkey.
      1.use the dramas as rewards. For doing your school work well all week...watch couple episodes on the weekend.
      2. split the dramas in sections and put them different places so that you have to really stop and take a while to get the other set of videos. hopefully by that time you will have 'come to your senses'...LOL
      I wish you luck! and I hope these work.

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  11. man I've been an addict for way tooo long, I think I'm worse since I finished university ahhhhhhhhh, I hate it but I love it whyyy!?!!?!!?!!?!? I was getting more selective but recently ive been rewatching series and its just not productive, especially as I work for myself *sobs*

    What have you done to us Korea? What have you done!?!?!?

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  12. LMAO!~ I just love these 5 tips! I was also super addicted to Kdramas but similar to others, I've also acquired a (what I would call) rather high quality taste...but sometimes when I'm in experimenting mode, I try multiple dramas at once and whichever one wins my attention will have my attention until the end of the drama--as for the rest, I just abandon them...until I feel they're worth watching again. I still consider myself an addict, just not an extreme one. And instead of being addicted to a whole bunch, I take my time with either one or two (at the most) airing dramas so that when it's not airing, it's for one, not possible for me to watch it, and two, gives me time to take in the story, character transformations, literary features, etc. Instead of just watching for mere entertainment, I like them more when they teach me valuable lessons (and in order to see those values, it takes time to absorb the story's overall progression). If I take the time to actually apply what I learn in Kdramas to my life, that also means I'm taking time to actually live my life rather than just sitting all the time watching dramas. One of my life projects currently consists of me learning how to speak and write in Korean and another consists of me designing my own home from the inspirations of Kdrama sets (a combination of them)--and yeah, I'm dead serious about that. Keeping these passionate projects alive keep me occupied rather than just being a pure Kdrama addict with absolutely no goals in life (especially after you finish watching a really good drama and can't let go of that feeling...and you don't know what to do with your life anymore)...you know what I mean if you've ever had PDD (post drama depression)...haha~ Anyway, just a bit of my own experiences and how I learned how to deal with it. :)

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  13. Omg.. This is so awesome.. in soooo many ways! Yes, I admit it. I am a Korean Drama ADDICT. :3

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  14. And to prove that I AM AN ADDICT I know and watched all the dramas used for the presentation...Ha HA HA HA

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  15. yes I admit it I AM A DRAMA ADDICT
    I too am a comp sci masters student
    past two months im just into dis k stuff
    which I accidentally got into
    god save me I need to study too

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  16. I ADMIT THAT I AM A KDrama Addict now, actually I only started watching Kdrama's Last year and i think i already watched many Kdrama's and Movies. I enjoyed watching them, they always make me cry and laugh also. ^_^

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  17. The
    information you have given in the blog really marvelous and more interesting Stop Addictions

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  18. 두와주세요... I am an kdrama addict. I scored 9, I don't bow although I do nod my head... but I'm going to say that does not count, it's not an official bow.... anyway. 2 months ago I said "No More" to kdramas. I went cold turkey mid season with multiple dramas. It was so hard to stop so many dramas and wondering all the time. Translated? How many new episode's are there? What happened? - peeking to see how far ep's were and read synapses of new dramas that came out... eventually after 2 or 3 weeks that got better and I stopped thinking about it as much. It was great! I had so much TIME! But recently... Sunday to be exact.... I went to my mom's and watched 1 ep of a random drama with my sister (I'm not the only kdrama in my family. My mother and sib #6 are hooked... sib #4 watches a series now and then but when she starts she is bynges. Sib #3 used to watch a lot but now has let it go because it was time consuming. Sib# 7 introduced is to City Hunter and Faith witch set siblings 3-8 (#8 is me) eventually joined in to watch and liked them. That's when it started. Papa watches one now and then. Mama and Papa really enjoy historical dramas but mama watches a large veriety. My papa also likes comedy and action but not addict. He still likes his Americano. Sib #1 thinks we are all nuts and i don't think sib #2 know much since he lives further away. Sib #5 got sick of kdramas and went back to American shows but would watch behind mamas back from time to time to know what's up I guess. Until he moved out. Other than that it's just my family and this is a small town... no one would really understand it... Anyway.... as I was saying... ) Sunday... Sib #6 shows me ONE & 1/2 eps.... i got into it a little.... go home don't think much about it but it was Tomorrows Cantabile and I loved the pianos so watched a little from where we left off. Was sick with a bug on Monday so decided to watch more... ended up finishing it and thinking.... I love Shin Hye and Jong Suk.... I wonder how Pinocchio is doing. Watch the first episode and was hooked. Caught up by Tuesday and Wednesday was waiting for translation and thought... I love choi... wonder how Pride and prejudice is going (I had watched both trailers and read about both before deciding to give up kdrama so I was curious) while waiting for Pinocchio to load I watched the first ep of P&P .... hooked.... caught up to 13 today and then caught up with the new eps 9 & 10 of Pinocchio..... ending in such terribly awesome cliffhangers on both today... its has been tough but cleaned my house out of axiousness listening to kdrama OST's -_- ... I have no nails and I've bitten my bottom lip so much it is soar.... I'm working so hard not starting any more dramas. So far keeping up with these 2 will take one ep a day from mon-thurs.... so it's bearable... as to when I was having 8-12 new episodes a week and bynging on finished dramas on the side... I'm doing okay right now... but I've started FanGirling again on we♡it, tumbler, etc. Not so bad. Just laughing and liking pics... dwld now and then... not as time consuming as before... I'm hoping to take this in moderation from today and stopped once these series have finished.. it appears I have had a relapse.... :/

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  19. I'm a Korean drama addict, my goal in visiting this site is to get rid of my addiction but I end up asking, "What drama is the number 2?" haha the girl there is one of the characters in "moon embracing the sun(not sure) and I need romance 3(sure) . Last march 29,2015, I graduated in college,a week passed, but I already watched I Need Romance 3, Pinocchio, Hyde Jekyll, Me, Blood til ep. 14, plus a couple episodes of Sensory Couple, and Kill Me, Heal Me, and of course some variety shows Running Man and Return of Superman. This is heaven in earth. But I'm aware that it is not right to watch so much, I'm just thinking, what could be an appropriate career if you are a Korean drama addict, o simply the benefits of being addicted to this stuff?

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  20. Cured drama addictJuly 21, 2015 at 3:00 PM

    Hi, I am a high school student who recently quit kdramas.
    I first started watching about a year ago when my friend told me all about kdramas and how great they were and recommended Boys over flowers to me. I was cautious at first, but soon I was hooked.
    After the school started, I stopped watching, then watched again through the Christmas break. My parents told me before not to watch it, because I slept little when watching a drama.
    In winter I got really addicted, the again stopped for a while, then I was only subbing dramas and I was quite responsible, but then I watched City Hall and got into a circle of watching and not finishing dramas.
    It got kind of out of hand, but recently I was at a summer christian camp (I am a Christian) and I decided to stop. I didn't have the opportunity to watch while being there, so that was a good start.
    I knew it was a good decision and something God wanted me to do. It wasn't exactly easy, but I can tell you, instead of praying to the kdrama gods, I would recommend praying to the one and only God and ask him to help you. I know it may sound nuts to you, but it really helps. He is strong enough and gives me the strength I need. I hope I won't screw it up, he is always faithful.
    Fighting! There is hope, just ask Jesus to help you.

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