A young Indonesian boy, Ardi Rizal, shocked the world eight years ago, when it was revealed that he smokes 40 cigarettes per day.

The video that emerged in 2001, showing how this young boy enjoys his smoke easily went viral.

The reactions of the people from all around the world were pretty harsh, and almost everyone blamed the authorities for not having laws that ban such practices. However, the parents of the boy didn’t see this as something serious, because according to them, their son was feeling well and completely healthy.

Even more shocking was the fact that almost 30% of the children in Indonesia were addicted to smoking. Furthermore, statistics show that in the country more than 165 billion cigarettes were sold in 2008, which is a really serious number.

What Has Happened Since Then?

After this story appeared, it has received plenty of attention. It has also influenced the Indonesian government that introduced some measures to eradicate this problem.

Ardi became part of a rehabilitation program that aimed to help him quit smoking. Another measure of the Indonesian government was starting a campaign against smoking with special focus on children. These governmental measures were widely approved by the public.

The rehabilitation program was successful and helped Ardi quit smoking, but not long after the treatment has finished, he found himself deep in another addition – overeating.

At the age of six he started consuming junk food and these eating habits significantly affected his weight.

His parents consulted a nutrition expert to start working with their child and put him on a strict diet regime. He received unconditional support from his parents and as a result, today Ardi is a healthy and sound 8 year old boy without a desire to smoke or to uncontrollably eat as compensation.

The conclusion of this story is that it is never too early to experience a difficult period in life, but also it is never too late to get through the difficulties in life by having the necessary support.

Supporting, loving and taking care of their children are just some of the essential parental responsibilities. Being a parent is very challenging and it is one of the most important jobs one can get in life, but if you do it with lots of love it can be your main source of true happiness and life energy.