Many people don’t understand the use of drugs in order to help someone with their sobriety, but that’s the exact formula that Lamar Odom has been following. It was back in 2015 when the devastating news surfaced that Odom had been hospitalized after being found unresponsive in a Nevada brothel. The former basketball star would go on to suffer one dozen seizures, heart attacks, and several strokes, and after a lengthy recovery period, Odom was back on his feet.
Still, Odom’s sobriety has been a long journey considering the 41-year-old admitted that he first dabbled in illegal drugs at the age of 12. He told Good Morning America that for the past two years, his physicians have been monitoring his doses of ketamine in order to help him stay clean.
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“I went to rehab and did some other things, but ketamine came into my life at the right time,” said Odom. “I’m feeling amazing… I’m alive. I’m sober. I’m happy.” Ketamine itself has been sold illegally on the streets and is a drug that is said to cause hallucinations if improperly used. It has also been used as an anesthetic for veterinarians, but in microdosing, it can reportedly be a benefit to people dealing with suicidal thoughts, PTSD, or anxiety.
“I don’t wake up looking to do lines … or waking up in a dark place or feeling unfulfilled,” Odom added. “When Kobe [Bryant] passed away, you know, the old Lamar, that’d have been every excuse in the world for me to go get high, [but] doing drugs didn’t even enter my mind.” The use of ketamine for mental health is still highly controversial, but it’s something that Odom won’t quit in the near future.
“I don’t think I will stop it,” he said. “I wouldn’t want to try to stop to be great. If I have greatness inside of me, I want to try to get it out.” Check it a clip below.