Lamar Odom has been taking small doses of ketamine to treat his addiction.
The basketball player had a stint in hospital in 2015 after a near-death overdose and in order to fight his addiction, Odom has been using doctor-prescribed ketamine to help. According to WebMD, ketamine is an anesthetic and a pain reliever, and it has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration for those purposes.
Speaking about his recovery, Odom shared: “I went to rehab and did some other things, but ketamine came into my life at the right time. I’m feeling amazing. I’m alive. I’m sober. I’m happy.”
And the 41-year-old star admitted his life has changed completely, and even moments that would have been big stresses for him in the past, such as the death of Kobe Bryant, he didn’t even think about using.
Speaking on “Good Morning America,” he added: “I don’t wake up looking to do lines … or waking up in a dark place or feeling unfulfilled. 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.”
Meanwhile, Odom previously admitted he was “shocked” by how much his overdose affected his body.
He said: “I have horrible memory loss. And my long-term memory was affected as well. Athletically, my balance is poo. I was shocked how weak my body became …
“The overdose made me realize I couldn’t live the way I’d been living. Life is too good now.”
Odom previously revealed his doctors have dubbed him a “walking miracle.”
He explained: “My doctors say I’m a walking miracle; they’re amazed that I’m here. I always knew I had a strong will. I think my will is even stronger than I believed it was.
“It’s a testament that God is good. When I woke up and I couldn’t talk or walk, I never thought I would be here. I never thought I would play basketball again or talk to you. Just to be here is a win for me.”
