Child addicted to cigarettes

[Dotti]

Chinese boy, 4, addicted to cigarettes15:30 AEST Thu Oct 1 20091 hour 19 minutes agoBy ninemsn staffVIEWS: 0| FLOCKS: 0| 0 comments so far

The four-year-old's habit shocked doctors.

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Meet Dong Dong — the four-year-old Chinese boy who drinks alcohol and is addicted to cigarettes.

Images of the little boy taking a puff were featured in the Jianghuai Morning Post, which reported that he had been smoking since he was two.

Dong Dong lives with his grandparents, who run a grocery shop in the Banqiao village in China's Anhui province.

His grandmother told the newspaper he constantly steals cigarettes from the shop.

"When he needs cigarettes, he just takes them from the house or steals a pack from the store," she said.

"We just can't seem to stop him."

She said he also drinks alcohol.

Doctor Zhang Gong, from Anhui Provincial Children's Hospital, said he was shocked to see the young boy smoking.

"From the way the boy smokes and his posture, he looks to have had a long history of smoking even though he is so young," Dr Zhang told the newspaper.

Dong Dong is one of 350 million smokers in China, which has the largest smoking population of any country in the world.

Nearly 60 percent of Chinese males older than 15 smoke regularly, according to TobaccoChina.net.

That's just disturbing....

[Lesley Bee]

That is absolutely shocking what kind of people would let such a young boy smoke i honestly give up on some people.

[Mrs Bishop]

Its Disgusting but we cant do any thing but try and educate them they have there ways but the most we can do is spread the word .

[~Lynd~]

Can't stop him?He's four years old,he must have picked it up somehow!

I'm seriously disturbed by that...

[Danni02]

Thats just wrong, it disgusting. How any parent can let a four year old child smoke and drink. Of course they can stop him. He is 4!

[Barbara]

That's disgusting. I don't even know which is worse: letting a 4-year old smoke or drink alcohol? And they can't make him stop? He's four. You make him stop and you can even ask for a doctor's help. And you put the drinks and cigarettes somewhere he can't reach them or you lock them up.

If they don't make him stop soon, he's going to have serious health issues (if it's not too late already) and that can't be good for his growth either.

And how exactly does he light up his cigarettes? There is no way my parents who have let me play with fire, matches or a lighter when I was four. Then again, there is no way they would have let me smoke or drink alcohol at that age either. So I assume the kid is allowed to play with matches.

[Lesley Bee]

There must be some kind of treatment program he can be put on, in fact im surprised there hasn't been any intervention because really his parents allowing this to happen is a form of abuse.

[Mrs Bishop]

So he lives in China there laws must be different to ours but all the same no it has come to light perhaps some thing can be done to stop this lind of abuse for children no matter what there age.

[Barbara]

Hopefully a social worker will pay them a visit.

[flyingwithoutwings]

When I first read the title of this thread, I just thought 'Oh yeah, just another underage smoker; nothing new.' But, then I read the article.

Four years old! Four little "innocent" years old. Far out, it really makes me think what the world is coming to. That is just beyond ridiculous, and disgusting. Four year olds should be playing, having fun. Definitely not smoking or drinking, with, by the sounds of it, a long habit. How can a four year possibly have a 'long habit' of smoking and drinking? That's absurd. Since two years old? Wow.

I'm speechless... and disgusted.