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• Mayor Bloomberg touts anti-smoking plan in Germany, admits shame caused him to quit 

BERLIN - Drinking beats smoking, Mayor Bloomberg said today at a beer-soaked street fair in the heart of Germany's capital.

After scooping up an anti-smoking award, the mayor bragged that New Yorkers who smoke are now ashamed to huddle outside bars with cigarettes, while non-smokers buy more food and drinks inside.

"It turns out that it is economically good for the bar and restaurant business," Bloomberg said. "It's certainly good for everybody except the funeral parlors."

The mayor was in Berlin to accept an award from the European Lung Foundation for his anti-smoking crusade. . . .

Bloomberg acknowledged that he used to smoke two decades ago and said humiliation helped him kick the habit.

"Friends of mine sort of looked down on me. It was embarrassing that I was doing something that can only be described as self-destructive and not very smart," the mayor said. "It's relatively easy to stop, and once you stop, you're going to feel so much superior to those who do smoke that there's instant gratification." . . .

He scolded medical professionals who still smoke as setting a horrible example to their patients.

"Every doctor who smokes sets an example that undermines the best public health anti-smoking campaign," he said. "He or she sends the message - after all, how bad can smoking really be?"

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It's relatively easy to stop, and once you stop, you're going to feel so much superior to those who do smoke that there's instant gratification.
NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, on quitting smoking.