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Barack Obama still trying to quit smoking
US President Barack Obama appears to be making progress in his struggle to kick a smoking habit and is chewing nicotine gum as a replacement, the White House said on Thursday.
President Barack Obama and his family react as his daughter Sasha (left) pushes the button to light the National Christmas Tree during a ceremony on the Ellipse in Washington Photo: REUTERS
11:56PM GMT 09 Dec 2010
Spokesman Robert Gibbs said he had not seen or witnessed any evidence of Mr Obama smoking in probably nine months.
"This is not something that he's proud of. He knows that it's not good for him. He ... doesn't like children to know about it, obviously, including his," Mr Gibbs said.
The spokesman was asked about the president's smoking habit in the wake of a report by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin that said cigarette smoke causes immediate damage to a person's lungs.
"He understands its dangers, and I think has done a lot of extraordinary work to wrestle with that habit, as millions of Americans have," Mr Gibbs said.
Mr Gibbs said he believes Mr Obama is still chewing nicotine gum to relieve the desire for tobacco. Mr Obama's last physical examination in February said he needed to continue tobacco cessation efforts.
