Aldon Smith on post-suspension life: ‘I don’t think I need alcohol’

Aldon Smith doesn’t “need alcohol” anymore, he says. It’s the right thing to say as he returns from a nine-game suspension, and everyone connected to the NFL must hope he stays that way.

Smith, the 49ers’ Pro Bowl pass rusher, gave his first interview since his return from suspension to the NFL Network, which will air it during its pregame show this Sunday. Asked if he still struggles with wanting to drink, which was at the core of many of his off-field problems, Smith said: 

“I know what going down that path was like, and I know what the effect it had on my life. As long as I keep that mind, I don’t think I need alcohol for that. And I think it’s just better to knock out something that, honestly, can put you in crazy positions to either kill you, kill yourself or kill somebody else.”

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Smith, 25, had been suspended under the NFL’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies after multiple arrests in the previous year, all with alcohol playing notable factors, including two DUI arrests. He spent a month in rehab after the second DUI charge last September and missed five games.

Smith returned to practice this week and is expected to play Sunday in the Meadowlands against the Giants.

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