Obama trying to quit smoking—again

[carpe diem]

WASHINGTON -- After struggling to quit smoking in the past, Sen. Barack Obama is trying a cessation aid not available over the counter: public attention.

Obama resolved to quit his cigarette habit over the winter holidays, a close family friend says, just weeks before his expected presidential campaign would make photographers and reporters an even more regular part of his life.
........
The incentive to quit is great for any office seeker, as increasingly negative attitudes about smoking translate into political pressure not to do it—or at least not to be caught doing it publicly. At a time when most willing public figures also are expected to serve as role models, those with unhealthy habits face intense pressure to leave them behind.
........
While quitting during such a stressful period as a presidential campaign may be difficult, public health advocates count it as a victory for them.

"I hope he makes it a public fight," said Mark Peysakhovich of the American Heart Association, who used to lobby Obama on anti-smoking policies and other public health issues when Obama was a member of the Illinois Senate. "If he's got a nic fit and he's in a bad mood, I hope some of that comes out. Maybe it will encourage other people to be brave enough to try."

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/local/chi-070205smoker,1,1203687.story?coll=chi-news-hed


good for him!!

[Drum]

1. Yikes.

high stakes!

[Bluebear]

2. He's picking a lousy time to quit smoking

[durrrty libby]

4. There is no lousy time. Go Barack ...you will do this. It ain't that difficult

[Bluebear]

11. A) Did you see the photo?

It's a riff on an old movie called "Airplane" :)

And B) Not difficult????? It was holy hell for me!

[durrrty libby]

16. Well one person's " Holy Hell" is another's .....meh.

[Bluebear]

18. "Wow I am sorry it was difficult for you, it was pretty easy for me!"

never mind.

[durrrty libby]

22. Who are you quoting? never mind....get a grip. It helps.

[Bluebear]

24. "Get a grip" helps quit smoking?

Nah. It's a horrible addiction and just telling people to get a grip won't help them.

[durrrty libby]

26. Oh yes indeed. The right attitude, a non-defeatist one, really helps

reach the goal

Believing it is an insurmountable task and impossible
task, will absolutely guarantee failure.

[Bluebear]

27. Well I do agree on the Commit lozenge thing

Of course, then it took me eons to get off of THOSE lol!

[Clark2008]

19. Ain't that difficult?

Doctors say it's as hard an addiction to break as heroin.

That's pretty fucking difficult.

[durrrty libby]

28. "Doctors say it's as hard an addiction to break as heroin."

They say that so they can charge people insane amounts of money

Don't believe the lies. It is as difficult or as easy as you think it is.

[SeattleGirl]

33. It's not lies, durrrty libby

See my post #30.

[durrrty libby]

47. My 20 plus years professional experience vehemently disagrees with you

[Dorian Gray]

68. Can you please provide us with your resume

so we can determine whether your opinion that it's "easy" would actually mean anything to those of us who had a very difficult time quitting? Because it seems as though you are diminishing a real struggle that many of us went through for the sake of argument and little else.

[SeattleGirl]

69. Experience in which field?

And regardless, my experience tells me it is NOT easy to quit smoking for many people. I think you are one of the people who makes general assessments of people based on a single behavior: i.e. you seem to think that SMOKERS are bad people, as opposed to seeing them as people with a bad habit.

[Dorian Gray]

67. It's pretty hard....

I was a half a pack day smoker, and I still (two years later) feel the urge to pick up a cig at times. For me, being competitive with my husband helped a hell of a lot. I haven't picked up a cig since, but it hasn't been an easy road.

[Bassic]

55. Oh yes it is that difficult.

But eventually we can all succeed, I hope.

[Bluebear]

77. Indeed.

[Hippo_Tron]

8. Agreed, I can't imagine trying to quit during the stress of a presidential campaign

That said, I hope he pulls through.

[uppityperson]

31. Don't call me Shirley.

I love that movie. It is so, well, stupid. I really love it.

[LuckyTheDog]

32. I'll make a deal with him

If he quits smoking, I'll quit sniffing glue!

:evilgrin: :silly: :beer:

[MadMaddie]

3. Yes but for him and millions of Americans the fight to quit

There was a study that noted that the nicotine content in cigerettes has been increased by tobacco companies to increase addiction.

[SeattleGirl]

30. Quitting smoking is not just a matter of willpower. If it were, a whole

lot more people would quit. Nicotine addition is one of the most insidious addictions around. I used to work in alcohol/drug treatment centers. Worked with prescription drug addicts, heroin addicts, coke addicts, you name it. And while not all of them succeeded in beating the addition, to a person, everyone of them who also tried to quit smoking said it was much harder than quitting the other drugs.

I'm not making excuses; just stating what I, and these people, know to be true.

I have known a few fortunate ones who were able to quit cold turkey, and never touch another cigarette. I envy them, but they are the exception to the rule.

[AbbyR]

66. Both my mother and my husband quit cold turkey

She did it the first and only time she tried. He tried over and over and over again - finally did it. Knowing that you are dying is a great incentive.

[SeattleGirl]

70. I know people who have quit cold turkey; they are, however, in

the minority of people I know who have quit, or who have tried to quit. Most of them needed some type of assistance, be it hypnosis, gum, the patch, lozenges, etc.

I don't think people who quit cold turkey are better than those who quit with some type of assistance. Isn't the bottom line QUITTING, regardless of how it's done?

[doc03]

5. I find it hard to support a man for President

that doesn't have the willpower to stop smoking.

[The Straight Story]

12. bush dosen't smoke.... (nt)

[susanna]

34. Actually, I heard he does. n/t

on edit: "occasionally."

[KamaAina]

86. I thought it was Pickles who smoked?

:shrug:

[susanna]

95. I think she does.

I read somewhere (and can't remember where) that he does too. It was in an article pretty recently, but the old cranium filing system is a little messier than it was in my youthful daze. ;-)

[Bluebear]

13. Addiction is not just a matter of "willpower" sometime. nt

[tuvor]

17. Obviously never got hooked, didja?

Good for you.

[doc03]

21. I started smoking when I was probably 10 years old

and I quit at 33 in 1981, at that time I smoked at least 3 packs a day. One day I decided to quit I threw away a couple cartons of cigarettes that I had bought and have never touched another one since. Maybe he just likes to smoke and doesn't want to quit, if he is willing to suffer the consequences of smoking that's fine with me. But if he really wants to quit and can't I see that as a weakness.

[tuvor]

25. I'm glad you kicked the habit so simply.

But you can't use your personal experience as a yardstick for everyone else.

[MyNameGoesHere]

61. I hope that

doc03 is not a nickname that describes your profession. That is damn right scary.

[durrrty libby]

20. I understand what you are saying. Strength of character is an

important issue.

:toast:

[doc03]

23. Since our new smoking ban went into effect in Ohio

it sure has helped a lot of people stop. There are still holdouts that blame the government or the damn liberals for taking their rights away, when in reality it is pure Democracy the majority rules.

[The Straight Story]

29. remember the whole majority rules thing mmmm k

cause they are the ones who favored slavery, women not being allowed to vote, and so on.

[susanna]

35. Deleted, as in I agreed with you so much I got a little kooky. n/t

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[durrrty libby]

51. Ah Mr Cranky needs a butt. Please do go have several

[LeftishBrit]

54. Better than a president who doesn't have the willpower to stop killing!

[ripple]

62. Everyone has a vice or two

Some are just more visible than others. Personally, I prefer a president who seems half-assed human, as opposed to a detached stuffed shirt.

[Bassic]

90. And how exactly does that affect his ability to run a country?

I think that equating his difficulty to stop with lack of willpower is rather obtuse, considering we're talking about a you black man who had the ability to get elected to the senate, and two years later is considered as a solid candidate for the presidency. That alone shows that Obama not only has ambition, but a lot of willpower as well. You need an iron will to be a prominent politician, or else you're going to get eaten alive. Of course, you have the right to dislike him and to refuse to support him, but at least give us some valid reasons.

[PVnRT]

93. Yes, it's SO EASY to quit smoking

It's so easy I've done it easily a dozen times in three years. Simple and fun! :eyes:

[illinoisprogressive]

6. Obama always inspires me so maybe he will with my quitting - which has been tough.

[KittyWampus]

56. Tip for quitting smoking- Drink herbal teas! You get a warm,steaming cup in your hand

so it satifies:

something to put in your mouth
the warming aspect

But it tastes and smells MUCH better and there are so many delicious tea blends to choose from now.

Also find a perfume or colognes that you really like. Take some time to find one that you really like and splurge on it.

When you smoke packages cigarettes, you stink and impare your abilitiy to enjoy scents.

Enjoying perfumes etc. will give more incentive to keep off butts.

I quit by just not wanting to anymore. Loved smoking my handrolled Drum tobacco cigarettes but decided one day to stop and did.

I ALWAYS hated the way packaged cigarettes smelled.

[rurallib]

7. Maybe shrubeenie will be inspired and quit drinking?

[durrrty libby]

15. Why would anyone care if that murderer is inspired

He needs to go far far away.

[durrrty libby]

9. WooHoo ...I love smoking threads

Barack...e-mail me. I will encourage you

You will do this.

Try Commit lozenge. They are awesome


:toast: :thumbsup: :hi: :dem: :loveya: :loveya: :loveya:

[Catherine Vincent]

10. You know when Barack started getting more air time, I always wondered

if he smoked privately since his lips were darker. I wanted to say something then, but decided not to.

[Bluebear]

14. Well Bush gave up cocaine for his campaign, so good luuck Barack! nt

[Dean Martin]

36. do we know that for sure?

I'm just sayin....

[Nikki Stone1]

37. For God's sake, let the man smoke!

We have serious problems to solve, and if taking a drag on a legal substance keeps the man calm and prevents him from making stupid mistakes, I'm all for it. We have a reformed alcoholic in the White House and he's acting like a perfect control freak. A lot of folks who quit addictive substances end up this way--not all, but enough. I think Junior is one of them.

Let the man worry about actually ending the war and getting us the hell out of the destructive spiral our nation is in. After he leaves office, he can devote his life to quitting smoking.

[durrrty libby]

50. "For God's sake, let the man smoke!"

Is that a great role model?

Sorry, it won't fly

[SeattleGirl]

71. So, is Bush a "great role model" because he doesn't smoke?

:shrug:

[durrrty libby]

76. I guess a nicotine addled brain makes logical conclusions

difficult, eh?

[Nikki Stone1]

85. "Nicotine addled brain"? Like some of our greatest writers?

Let the man smoke in peace.

[Swamp Rat]

38. “Looks like I picked the wrong week to quit sniffing glue.”

[Nikki Stone1]

39. LOL!!!

:)

[Bluebear]

41. See #2, ya shit!

:rofl:

[Swamp Rat]

44. LOL!

:rofl:

[NanceGreggs]

40. I long for the day ...

... when a politician is confronted with a question about his/her marriage, the way they raise their children, their 'personal relationship with God', or whether they smoke (totally legal cigarettes) or not, and says: "It's NONE OF YOUR F&%KING BUSINESS."

I'd vote for THAT candidate in a heartbeat.

As long as it doesn't affect their decision-making when it comes to my country, I don't care what any politician does in their PERSONAL life -- which is no more my business than MY personal life is any of their business.

[Broken_Hero]

43. ..........

:thumbsup:

[swimboy]

63. Amen and amen

:applause:

[walldude]

64. You want a candidate to tell the truth? To speak his mind?

Bwhahahaha..it's gonna be a long wait.

[Laurab]

78. EXACTLY...

since you added the part about their decision making. I do think * basically said it was none of our f'king business by saying he was young and foolish, so he got a pass on things that Clinton was hounded about.

If an excellent candidate does something in their personal life that I disagree with, I don't give a damn, because it really IS none of my fucking business. If he or she can do a good job running the country - THAT is my business. I think that's how candidates SHOULD answer the questions that have nothing to do with their ability to make sound decisions.

[NanceGreggs]

88. You stated it much more eloquently than I ...

But I'm really getting weary of all of this nonsense. Politicians publicly apologizing for an affair? Hey, that's between you, your spouse, and your lover - not between you and your constituents, you and the press, you and anyone else. It only becomes the public's business when it is something that directly affects your ability to do your JOB.

I always wished that when Clinton was first asked about Monica, he would have said, "Ask me ANYTHING about my role as president, and how I am doing my job. But my personal life is just that - MY personal life."

I often wonder what the RW's reaction to that would have been. "But your personal life IS our business?" That opens the door to THEIR personal lives being everyone's business -- and as we have seen time and again, THAT'S a subject they really don't want to get into ...

It's time for a politician -- any politician -- to set the off-limits tone again, which was once a time-honoured tradition, especially when it came to discussing the personal lives of presidents in office.

[Raine]

45. Good

I wonder why someone of his generation ever started in the first place since the truth about it has been out for so long. :shrug:

[LeftishBrit]

53. Trouble is, lots of people start when they're kids and still think they're immortal

And then it's terribly difficult for some of them to give up.

I hope Obama does, though; I'd like him to stick around for just as long as some of the more evil Republicans have done.

[Catfight]

46. It's been 30 hours since my last cigarette....I feel his pain. nt

[durrrty libby]

48. You can do it. Drink plenty of water and try the lozenge

You will succeed

:hi: :thumbsup:

[Telly Savalas]

89. Quit counting the hours.

You're a non-smoker now.

Non-smokers don't count the hours since their last smoke because cigarettes are not part of their lives.

It can be tough adjusting to this new mindset, but once you do, you'll find it very liberating.

Congrats on the decision to quit! You can do it!

[deacon]

49. Obama wants to quit smoking and Bush wants to spend 2 trillion

I'll give Obama a carton of cigarettes to stop him.

[LeftishBrit]

52. Good for him, and good luck!

[rug]

57. If he quits smoking he's lost my vote.

[Raskolnik]

58. Just curious:

Does supporting the tobacco industry square with Marxism?

[rug]

80. Just have to seize the tobacco industry.

Problem solved.

[Raskolnik]

81. That's not the world we live in though, is it?

The industry *isn't* seized. Which means you're espousing Marxism at the same time you're lining the coffers of an industry more guilty than any of dehumanizing labor practices.

There's a word for that, I think...

[rug]

82. And on what speck of unexploited planet were the keys you typed on made?

[Raskolnik]

83. Oh, I'm not pretending to be virtuous--just pointing out some rather poorly thought out Marxism

You're the one proposing a discredited totalitarian ideology, I was merely pointing out that you were doing so rather ineffectively.

[rug]

84. Perhaps I should point out I was proposing a joke.

[Raskolnik]

87. The contradiction isn't in the joke.

The contradiction is in supporting the tobacco industry (whether philosophically, or by buying cigarettes) while simultaneously espousing Marxism.

[Beelzebud]

60. Agreed. If he can "cut and run" on tobacco, how will he handle terrorism?

LOL :D

[LaBanty]

59. why is he quitting?

Is it for health reasons, or is he just trying to hone his image? If it's for the latter, that's pretty counterfeit. That's as cheap a tactic as the GOP bible-thumpers.

[SeattleGirl]

73. Why should his reason matter?

If he manages to quit, I could care less about his reason for doing so.

[Bassic]

91. He's a politician, they all resort to cheap tactics

at one point or another. That's just the way things work.

[RedStateShame]

65. Couldn't Keith Olbermann be of assistance?

I seem to remember he brought a lot of attention to smoking cessation, including his own battle with the wicked little sticks, following the death of Peter Jennings.

[redqueen]

72. Ugh, nevermind.

[michaz]

74. Good Luck to Obama.

This is day 1 for me as I try to quit again. Believe me, this is one of the most difficult things to do.

[Booster]

75. Welcome to DU. I haven't even tried to quit just yet, but a friend

of mine who has smoked at least 2 packs a day for over 50 years just tried the drug Chantix (hopefully that's right) and he has actually quit. Believe me, if this man quit, anybody can quit. I'm going to ask my doctor if I can try this drug also.

[RiverStone]

79. 1 day at a time...

Best wishes to you and Obama!

And of course, smokey or not, WELCOME to DU! :hi: :bounce: :)

[Bassic]

92. Really? Upthread there are dudes saying that the whole difficulty thing,

is just medical propaganda! :sarcasm:



I know it's hard. I'm about to try again myself, so I wish you luck

[LeftishBrit]

94. Certainly it's not just medical propaganda...

especially as doctors want people to give up smoking, so they'd make it sound easier than it is, not harder.

Good luck to all those giving up, including Obama. I know that it's NOT easy.

[meow mix]

96. ouch. i couldnt get to sleep for 3 days after quitting, and it was a month

before i could sleep through a whole night.
the lack of sleep was the hardest part for me always sooooooooo tired.