Remember the Toddler With 40-a-day smoking habit? Check him out now!

Images of two-year-old Sumatran boy, Aldi Rizal, shocked the world when he was discovered with a cigarette in his hand while riding his tricycle.

His family had never discouraged him after he had his first cigarette at just 18 months.

His habit peaked to smoking two packs a day.

The Indonesian government eventually stepped in and said Aldi had to give up the smokes, shared New Idea.

He was taken into rehab where he was weaned off of his cigarette habit and allowed to be a toddler for the first time.

Smoke-Free

In the 7 years since, Aldi has managed to stay clean of smokes. His mother, Diane, says that his rehabilitation doctor – Dr Kak Seto – regularly checks in on the family and has been a positive influence on young Aldi.

‘There are many people still offering Aldi cigarettes, but Aldi no. He says “I love Kak Seto. He would be sad if I started smoking again and made myself ill,’ she explains.

smoking-baby-921975

Aldi has since become the poster-child for tackling childhood smoking in Indonesia – where it is through that at least a third of children under 10 years old have tried cigarettes.

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Image via Getty

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29 Comments

- - Blossom said
  - 14 Oct 2018
    9:18 pm
He certainly looks a lot healthier now. I hope his smoking hasn’t cause permanent lung or other organ damage at all.

- - mom101628 said
  - 23 Apr 2018
    11:00 pm
Terrific ending for this young man. Hope him being a poster boy works for the Indonesians.

- - nadine_hill said
  - 23 Apr 2018
    9:33 am
A shocking story with a happy ending – hope he keeps it up!

- - rachel1970 said
  - 23 Apr 2018
    7:06 am
Wow, he has lost a lot of weight too, both will have amazing impacts on his future health. Just hope all that smoking on such young lungs hasn’t had any long term effects.

- - mom176887 said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    9:32 pm
Eye opening. I’m glad he’s managed to stay off the habit. I never realized it was so bad for really young kids in overseas places; just assumed it was the adults who smoked…wonder how the lungs etc. will fare…with the pollution of most cities they say it’s like smoking 2 packs a day.. so perhaps still will have trouble down the track. Let’s hope not.

- - nealsq said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    8:40 pm
Well done Aldi, stay strong!

- - mom199367 said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    5:08 pm
It’s great that his health has turned around, just a pity it was allowed to develop in the first place.

- - cherz said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    2:57 pm
Great that Aldi received help but what punishment/treatment did his father receive.

- - mom90758 said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    11:43 am
He changed so much. I’m glad the rehabilitation helped him. Still incredible to think that he was offered a cigarette when he was 18 months old though!

- - mom298431 said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    11:41 am
Well done Aldi. We could do with Aldi here in Australia to tackle Australia’s teen smoking issues.

- - Cookfromscratchmum said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    9:33 am
Seriously this is a true story I thought it was a joke but wow rehab what can I say to young Aldi well done for giving up cigarettes

- - Ellen said
  - 22 Apr 2018
    7:57 am
Wow, well done Aldi, keep it up !

- - mom297125 said
  - 21 Apr 2018
    8:52 pm
What an amazing achievement. Such inspirational for young people to know they can say no

- - BellaB said
  - 21 Apr 2018
    7:20 pm
I’m glad he’s stopped; amazing hs family never tried to stop him.

- - mom94125 said
  - 09 Oct 2017
    6:18 pm
at least he doesn’t do this now, what a sad fact that he did them in the first place

- - momlynneymom said
  - 24 Jun 2017
    8:40 am
This was such a crazy story at the time
- mom93821 replied
  
  22 Apr 2018 , 5:52 am
  It was such a shocking and sad story – good to see the positive turn around.
- - mom101628 said
  - 10 May 2017
    4:48 pm
What a wonderful outcome for this young man. Hope he never goes back on to the dreaded things.

- - june11 said
  - 03 May 2017
    9:53 pm
Tantrums were a bad excuse to give a toddler a cigarette.
So glad they got help to get him off the addiction they introduced him to.
His lungs are probably already fairly damaged.

- - taynik46 said
  - 30 Apr 2017
    10:42 pm
so good to read that he has been smoke free for 7 years – still shocks me that he could even smoke that many in a day – I am an ex-smoker and even I couldn’t do 40 a day!

Fingers crossed that he lives a happy life now teaching other children to not smoke

- - rachel1970 said
  - 29 Apr 2017
    8:24 pm
Oh my goodness, how shocking and sad. Glad he has given them up and has also lost some weight-both of which should help him lead a healthy long life. Just hope the cigarettes haven’t left any lasting, lurking damage.