I

t has been more than 20 years since Malika Febri smoked her first cigarette, giving her quite a challenge in managing her addiction.

The 36-year-old woman has been a smoker since she was in junior high school, which began after she stole her father’s cigarettes. Malika, who works at a private company in the city, has never stopped since then.

In an attempt to quit smoking, she has been trying to distract herself by getting involved in physical activities such as mountain climbing or going to the gym, but to no avail.

“My record of not smoking is five days and the experience made me feel sick,” Malika said.

Malika admitted it is even harder for her to quit smoking in a country where people can smoke almost anywhere and where the price of cigarettes is unbelievably low, at around Rp 20,000 (US$1.40) per pack. Smoking two packs of cigarettes per day, Malika even smoked through her pregnancy five years ago. Now, she is scolded by her daughter for her habit.

“As she grows older, she scolds anyone, including the cashier at the minimarket, who is seen handing me cigarettes. I don’t want her to come to me one day asking for cigarettes,” she said.

Therefore, she plans to see a therapist soon to help her handle her addiction.

Smoking cessation therapist Fuad Baradja said those who intended to quit need not only strong willpower but also motivation.

“Every smoker wants to quit someday and in Indonesia it is usually when the smoker feels unhealthy,” Fuad said, adding that this usually occurred when the smoker reached the age of 40.

From ages 10 to 18, people like to try new things, including smoking as it is something common and considered a cool thing, he said.

Cigarettes are also affordable for teenagers who have yet to begin work as it is possible to purchase only one or two cigarettes in small shops found all over the city.

Hence, he hopes the government will increase the price of cigarettes and limit the places where people can smoke.

He added that the family also has an important role when it comes to child smokers. Recalling the experience of one of his patients, Fuad said the patient came to him because his son, who was a kindergarten student, was smoking cigarettes at school after stealing a pack from his father.

The patient was extremely shocked and decided to quit right away.

Health Minister Nila Moeloek said out of Indonesia’s 260 million residents, around 36.3 percent are smokers, and up to 20 percent of teenagers are smokers.

Meanwhile, 23.3 percent of residents in Jakarta, home to around 10 million people, are smokers, data from the latest national Basic Health Research survey in 2013 showed. A further 6 percent of Jakartans also smoke occasionally.

Passive smoking also caused Zainuddin, 45, to lose his vocal cords 20 years ago.

Living with smokers, the young Zainuddin was often exposed to cigarette smoke. This was compounded when his colleagues at work smoked on a daily basis.

“It all started when my voice became hoarse and I kept coughing. The doctor then had to remove my vocal cords when I was 23 years old,” Zainuddin said, adding that he does not want others to experience the same thing.