Lamar Odom: “I was trapped in my body…” Recovery Means Leaving People Behind

A brief chat between Lamar Odom and Scott Disick brings to light one interesting thing to remember and also one serious truth.

Discussing the no-good, very bad 2015 episode during which he was found unresponsive in a Las Vegas brothel, Odom gave an important glimpse into what awareness and reality can be like for people with brain injuries: “I was, I was trapped in my body. Couldn’t even say ‘excuse me’ or ‘thank you.'”

So, we shouldn’t assume, as too many do, that injured people who are unresponsive are not aware, that they’re not fully alive within themselves and their minds, even if they are not able to communicate as we expect. As a society, maybe we shouldn’t be so fast to think about “pulling the plug” or showing “mercy” by “helping” them to exit this life, when inside they’re still there, and increasingly, if given the time, they come around.

Odom also says he is living his recovery “day-to-day,” and that part of recovery means breaking with destructive acquaintances in his past, and leaving them behind. “That’s the hardest part, just getting rid of all the bad people,” says Disick, “You know what I mean?”

Odom agrees, saying he cannot take the risk.

Getting rid of “the bad people” and leaving behind those who would help you to destroy yourself is the beginning of all kinds of healing, and maybe — after “awe of the Lord” — it is the beginning of wisdom, too. Let’s pray for all of the people we know (and don’t know) who are unable to get away from negative influences, or who are struggling to maintain their recoveries:

Lord, the people you love are lost and searching for light; too often they do not turn to see it in you. Please bless those who are struggling with temptation to indulge in behaviors that harm their bodies and their souls and put them at great risk, and help them be guided to your light from within the trappings of their darkest places. We ask this in your name, O Christ. Amen.
Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for them.
St. Michael the Archangel, pray for them.
St. Maximilian Kolbe, patron of substance abusers, pray for us.
Ven. Matt Talbot, pray for us.