My Essay Was Featured on The Kardashians (10 Years After I Wrote It)
Addiction, Writing, and a Full-Circle Moment on Hulu
Video is from TikToker “BluFleurSauvage”
Writing about drug addiction through the lens of loving someone who struggles with the disease has always been deeply personal for me. It’s a nightmare that so many people are thrown into unexpectedly, and when they are, they often search for something that articulates what they’re feeling to feel less alone.
It turns out that a Kardashian found an essay of mine a long time ago and has held it close, even reading it aloud on a recent episode.
I don’t watch the show, but my sister was scrolling TikTok when something strangely familiar caught her ear. It was a clip of Khloé Kardashian reading my essay aloud on The Kardashians (Hulu) at the end of Season 6, Episode 2. My sister had one of those “wait, I know this” moments, and sure enough, it was my decade-old essay, What You Learn from Loving a Drug Addict1, originally published by HuffPost and widely circulated in the years that followed in various media outlets.
Khloé read the first few parts as she reflected on reconnecting with her ex-husband, Lamar Odom. Their marriage was deeply affected by Odom’s struggles with addiction, and the essay must have resonated with her in a personal way during that time in her life. According to her, she’s had it saved in her phone for almost as long as it’s been published.
This essay was the first time I put into words what it’s like to love someone who struggles with drug addiction. I’ve written about addiction many times since—over 50 essays, plus a ton of poems—but this one continues to be a piece of mine that people stumble upon when they need it most, when they are looking for a survival guide.
To my fellow writers, especially those who share their own lived experiences, if you ever wonder whether writing about your life matters, let this be a reminder. I wrote this in probably a few hours 10 years ago, and people are still discovering it as they, unfortunately, experience addiction in their lives for the first time. It’s always been an honor to reach people the way I do, and moments like this remind me of the staying power of words.
For old times' sake, here’s the essay again.
I personally no longer use the term "addict" when discussing substance use disorder. However, I have chosen to publish this piece in its original form to preserve its context and authenticity.