Lamar Odom has opened up about his past struggles with addiction and how a near-fatal overdose left him in a coma.
The two-time NBA champ, 46, has revisited some of the most difficult moments in his life in Netflix's Untold: The Death & Life of Lamar Odom.
Ahead of its release on Tuesday (31 March), Lamar knows how lucky he is to be alive after collapsing at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada in 2015.
The ex-husband of Khloe Kardashian was hospitalised for nearly three months, as family members were told to say their last goodbyes. During the coma, Lamar suffered 12 strokes and six heart attacks.
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“When I woke up (from a coma ten years ago), the doctors told me I’d probably never walk and talk again,” he told USA TODAY. “So us having this conversation is a win.”
“All of my doctors say I'm like a walking miracle because it's, like, medically impossible for somebody to survive 12 strokes and six heart attacks while in a coma,” Odom explained.
“And so I just take it day by day, and I'm more than grateful for life.”
The 'hardest' drug to give up
On his drug struggles, Lamar admitted that he's 'just like everyone else' when 'it comes to getting high and escaping'.
“If I could just help the average person and give them faith and hope that they can overcome it, then that's probably one of the reasons why the Lord spared me,” he said.
“No pot, no alcohol (since Jan. 28). I think, with me, stopping the marijuana was probably the hardest.
“I am almost 60 days completely sober.”
Taking drugs to deal with grief
Lamar said he 'had a lot of reasons probably to do drugs', but the death of his mum and 6.5-month-old son Jayden certainly contributed.
“My mother passed away when I was 12 years old. That alone would probably cause an addict to be an addict, a lot of people, for the rest of their lives,” he said.
“A lot of traumatising things happened to me, at a very young age, but I can't let that be the excuse, especially me knowing what addiction is and how it works.
“We all could make excuses, especially for failure,” Lamar added. “At this point in my life I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired.
“I just want to live my best life and be happy. I want to make the people around me happy.”
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Topics: Basketball, Celebrity, Sport
Anish Vij