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Dihan AwalidanA seven-year-old Indonesian who reduced his cigarette intake from 60 to 16 per day
Country:
 Indonesia |
Content:
- Dihan Avalidan: A 7-Year-Old Boy Struggling with Nicotine Addiction
- An Early Start
- Influences and Temptations
- A Struggle to Quit
- A Mother's Distress
- The Tobacco Industry in Indonesia
- A Perfect Storm
Dihan Avalidan: A 7-Year-Old Boy Struggling with Nicotine Addiction
Dihan Avalidan, a seven-year-old resident of Indonesia, has managed to reduce his daily cigarette intake from 60 to 16. Alongside three other young friends, Dihan would smoke approximately 16 cigarettes each day. Despite their efforts, his parents admit that they are unable to break their son's harmful habit.
An Early Start
Dihan Avalidan developed his nicotine addiction at the age of three. Previously, he would easily smoke three packs a day, totaling to 60 cigarettes. Currently, Avalidan limits himself to only sixteen "poisonous sticks". Hailing from West Java, Indonesia, it was not difficult for Dihan to find other children in his settlement who preferred cigarette smoke over typical childhood games.
Influences and Temptations
Dihan purchases kretek cigarettes, which are made from Indonesian tobacco, using his pocket money or by stealing small change from his mother's wallet. Both of Dihan's parents are dedicated smokers themselves. Additionally, the detrimental effects of tobacco company advertisements, which are allowed to promote their products incessantly in Indonesia, have also influenced Dihan. Despite his parents' attempts to help him quit smoking and the positive influence of his school teachers, Dihan cannot part ways with this harmful habit. He often escapes to nearby rice fields to secretly light up another cigarette.
A Struggle to Quit
Dihan's father, 36-year-old Yan, states, "Dihan has been smoking since he was three years old. At that time, he could smoke three packs of cigarettes a day. If he wasn't given money for cigarettes, he would get angry or steal them." Over time, Dihan has reduced his cigarette consumption, but he refuses to give up the habit. Despite the horrifying images on cigarette packs, depicting black lungs, periodontal diseases, and cancer, many boys believe that they are being deceived. Unfortunately, Dihan's lips have already begun to darken from the tar he inhales into his young lungs.
A Mother's Distress
Dihan's 32-year-old mother, Tati, reveals, "If Dihan doesn't get cigarettes, he cries. He smokes secretly, not openly like before. He smokes in the fields near our house." The shocking truth is that among Dihan's peers in Southeast Asia, smoking has become a dangerous trend.
The Tobacco Industry in Indonesia
Indonesia is one of the main territories for the tobacco industry, according to Matt Myers, President of the "Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids". It is the fifth-largest tobacco market in the world, with one-third of the country's young inhabitants trying cigarettes before the age of ten.
A Perfect Storm
Myers states, "What is happening in Indonesia can be described as a perfect storm. The government is unable to protect its children. Industrial marketing has remained at the same level as sixty years ago. There are more children under the age of ten who smoke in Indonesia than in any other country we know."
He continues, "Travel across Indonesia, and you will be saturated with tobacco advertisements. Smoking is not just a habit that is easily acquired here. It is a cultural norm, fostered by advertising that has not been seen in the West for fifty years."
"It is a failure of the government, it is an industry negligence," Myers asserts.
More than 61 million people smoke in Indonesia, with two-thirds of the male population unable to do without cigarettes.
