President Has Reportedly Quit Smoking
LEMON: Time now to talk about -- it's almost the first of the year, New Year's resolutions. I'm going to tweet that as soon as we're done with the story. This is the reason we're talking about it. The question is, has President Obama finally kicked the habit? His press secretary said it's very hopeful.</s>ROBERT GIBBS, WHITE HOUSE PRESS SECRETARY: I can report that it's been probably about nine months since he last smoked a cigarette. He has done enormously well in quitting. It was a commitment that I think he made to himself at the end of health care and with his two daughters in mind.</s>LEMON: So let's bring in our senior medical correspondent Elizabeth Cohen in Miami. I'm jealous. OK. On to serious things now. Has the president been trying? We know he's been trying to kick cigarettes for a very long time now. No more smoke-filled rooms for the president, can I ask?</s>DR. ELIZABETH COHEN, CNN SENIOR MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: One certainly hopes so. We told an expert it's been eight months since his last cigarette. What are the chances he's going to have a relapse? He said statistically speaking most people that get past three months do not relapse. But he says what the president has to look out for is stress. Stressful events make people relapse. And I'm sure the president has unfortunately plenty of those.</s>LEMON: Usually some people are addicted because of the nicotine. Others want something to do with their hands, all different weird things trying to quit smoking. Is it really safe to say he's quit if it's been you said beyond three months? And is there a chance he could slip up and start again? Of course there is.</s>COHEN: Of course there is a chance. But I think what we can all learn from this -- you mentioned all the different things that go into cigarette addiction, is that it's a drug addiction. Here's a guy as smart as he is. He knows the havoc he's wreaking on his body by smoking and aware of the statistics I'm sure. Secondly, he has two daughters to live for. And thirdly, he's the president of the United States. He's running around the country talking about health care and here he is smoking. That's not setting a great example. That is not being a great role model. He has all of the reasons to quit and it has taken him this long to do it. So let's hope that it sticks. Robert Gibbs did it by will power and Nicorette gum.</s>LEMON: You brought up a very interesting point, if you don't mind talking to me about it, because people tend to put stigmas and talk about addictions in weird ways, if you're addicted to some substance, cocaine, marijuana, whatever it is. An addiction is an addiction no matter what it is. If you're the president of the United States, you can be addicted to smoking. An ordinary American should be addicted to alcohol, and people should all be treated the same for their addictions.</s>COHEN: Sure. This really speaks to how incredibly addictive this is. And I want to read to you something that the doctor told us, the Dr. Michael Fiori of the University of Wisconsin. He said "If a man this accomplished is still struggling with this addiction it speaks volumes with how powerful this addiction truly is." Nicotine is a drug. Doctors tell me it's like being addicted to any other drug and it's so difficult to kick the habit. And it shouldn't be a stigma attached. It's nobody's fault. It doesn't make sense to talk about fault. But, what does make sense is to get all of the help that you can when you decide it's time to quit.</s>LEMON: And 46 million Americans, that's a lot of Americans, Elizabeth Cohen. So how do you quit? Do you make up your mind with any other addiction? Hey, look, I'm going to do it? It's a stick-to-itiveness, maybe you have to. You go through the programs. How do you do it?</s>COHEN: It's so interesting. I definitely talked to people who said I decided to quit. I set a date. I did it.</s>LEMON: Cold turkey.</s>COHEN: I did it. I didn't need anything else. But then there are lots of people who need more than that. So setting the target quit date is important. January 1, no more, and then you get rid of all of the cigarettes in your car and your purse or wherever they may be, tell your friends and family. That's really important. You want people around you who will support you. And the people around you who still smoke, maybe it's time to stay away from them and gather around the people who are going to help you stay away from cigarettes. And then talk to your doctor about anti-smoking medications whether it's a hard time sticking to Nicorette gum or something else. There are medications out there to help.</s>LEMON: Elizabeth Cohen, thank you very much. Are you warm in Miami there?</s>COHEN: I wouldn't call it warm. It's cold and windy, but it's going to get later in the week.</s>LEMON: You don't have snow.</s>COHEN: No.</s>LEMON: Count your lucky stars.</s>COHEN: I am.</s>LEMON: Happy New Year's to you.</s>COHEN: Thanks.</s>LEMON: Listen to this. A woman in New York is traveling to memorial service for her father-in-law. She gets on a subway train at midnight, but doesn't leave it until 7:00 in the morning. We'll talk to her live next. Hope she's OK.