3 years ago, Aldi Rizal became famous for chain smoking. Videos and pictures of him emerged showing the then two year old in a smoking habit of 40 cigarettes per day.

After a public outcry, the Indonesian Government organized special rehabilitation for the boy. Two weeks therapy sessions in Jakarta helped Aldi become a normal toddler and quit the smoking habit. He has managed to stay off the cigarettes with the help of psychiatrists who taught him about the dangers of being a smoker. Dr. Kak Seko is one of his psychiatrists who visits the family regularly to ensure the boy does not start the habit again.

According to the mum, Diane 28, Aldi now does not take cigarettes even when offered by people. Diane however is worried about the boy’s overweight problem. While working on quitting smoking, Aldi developed food cravings.

The boy uses tantrums to demand for food just like he did some years back when demanding cigarettes. Diane says he would bang his head on the wall and they would give him cigarettes to stop his crying and temper. For now, it’s hard to stop Aldi from getting food due to the many people living in the house. He loves condensed milk especially and in a day consumes up to 3 cans.

Diane says she loves it when people speak to the bubbly and cheeky Aldi but hates it when they call him “the smoking kid” insinuating that she is a bad parent.

Diane and her husband, Mohammed, visited a nutritionist to help the boy lose some weight through a healthier diet. The nutritionist, Francisca Dewi says that the boy’s weight does not match his age. He weighs 24kg’s while a child his age should weigh 17-19kgs. They now give him fresh fruits and vegetables instead of snacks and junk but in smaller portions.

[source: www.nypost.com]