Obama's Smoking Drama

President-elect Obama's smoking habit is making news again. Tom Brokaw asked Obama if he was still smoking during his one hour interview on last Sunday's Meet the Press. Obama hemmed and hawed, but in the end admitted to falling off the wagon a few times.

Obama's relationship with smoking became a public issue when his wife Michelle made him promise to quit cigarettes if he ran for president. I have followed Obama's public struggle with cigarettes with great interest, as addiction is both a personal issue that I face every day (I am addicted to cigarettes) and a professional issue for the organization I work for, the Drug Policy Alliance.

Like Obama, I have also promised my wife numerous times that I will quit... for good. I quit cigarettes on birthdays, on my wedding day, Martin Luther King Day, and following the birth of my daughter. I sincerely hope that President-elect Obama will be successful if he continues to try to quit. But I also know that President Obama is human and, if he is like most cigarette addicts, he might end up relapsing and starting up again, perhaps more than once. I can't imagine the stress, pressure and thrill of being president but I can imagine how those emotions could trigger the urge to relax or process over a cigarette!

Making public or private promises to quit is a mixed bag. The public announcement and promise can be a helpful motivator when the urge to smoke arises. The flip side is having to apologize and feeling ashamed after starting up again. It is no fun having to explain to people, in person or on national television how you came to start up again once they "catch" you smoking again.

One thing that Mr. Obama and I can be thankful for is that our addiction is legal! Relapse is a common experience whether your addition is cigarettes, alcohol or illegal drugs. Thankfully, we don't arrest cigarette smokers who relapse. While it seems crazy to lock up someone who relapses over cigarettes, it makes no more sense to lock up a cocaine addict who relapses.

Some see failure in Obama's current smoking status. I see success. While Obama could be a regular smoker, going through a pack a day, it sounds like he is an occasional smoker and has one here, one there. That is not a setback, that is progress! Obama shows that it is not all or nothing, but that moderate use may be attainable for some smokers.

Mr. Obama's honesty about his past and current drug use is admirable. He has admitted to using marijuana and cocaine as a youth. It has been refreshing to see him admit it and not run from it or make excuses. Like Mr. Obama, tens of millions of Americans have also tried marijuana and they seem to be rewarding his honesty by not holding his past drug use against him. Mr. Obama's continued effort to quit cigarettes is exemplary of an honest struggle to change for the better, whether he is finally able to quit--or even if he is not.

Comments

[ladydriver]

Thanks for a sensitive, sensible article. I'm right there with you and Obama, and as a person in recovery (14 years), I well know that cigarette smoking is the hardest habit to kick. I can't even imagine our new President giving up smoking while under so much pressure. I hope you, Obama, I, and other smokers keep on working toward victory over this lethal addiction.

The other issue you mentioned in your post is Obama's honesty about the smoking and his past drug use. I always tell my sons that truth is all important. I may not always like what I hear, but I can deal with and accept the truth, but I cannot deal with or accept lies and dishonesty. Obama's honesty is one of the main reasons I chose to support and work for him, and the main reason I know our nation is in good hands with him as our leader.

[Meds]

I would say: quit this disgusting habit, Obama, it's not good for your health. It's not good for the health of your family as well. We have great expectations from you. Lead by example; teach some healthy ways of dealing with the stress to America.

[moda31]

i don't understand the people that are outraged that he's fallen off the wagon from time to time, or accuse him of hypocrisy because of it (yes brokaw i'm looking at you); i thought the point was that he's trying to quit, who honestly expected him to be able to do it the first time or even the first few times? he said he would try to quit, he never claimed he'd be perfect and it's a process, heck i probably wouldn't believe him if he claimed to have quit cold turkey & to have been completely cigarette free while running for the presidency; that would've been a truly superhuman feat. i hope he keeps trying, and i hope he succeeds.

[RightWingMarine]

I wonder if Obama will abide by the smoking ban in federal buildings in the executive branch that Clinton implemented. http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9C05E6DE103CF933A2575BC0A961958260

I can't really see the President having to step outside for a smoke but if he does not wouldn't his disregard for regulations he found inconvient be troubling?

[BSERIUS]

Barack "I picked a hell of a week to quit smoking"

[chicagojosh]

As a former smoker (I quit after ten years and was up to smoking a pack a day,) I am well aware of how difficult it is to quit. Even when using quitting aids like the patch, your concentration is shot and you are on edge.

Come January 20th, he will be sworn in as the President of the United States. He will become the most power person in the world. His decisions could make or break the future of this country and the world. He will have one of the most difficult, most stressful, jobs on the planet.

If President Obama wants to smoke, for the love of God let the man smoke! He can quit when he moves out of the White House.

[IndyReader]

The thing that gets me about those who complain about Obama smoking is that they're making these proclamations with a glass in hand and a bottle of Jack on the table beside them. Pretty hypocritical if you ask me.