Odom comes clean about his sex life in his soon to be released book, "Darkness to Light" -- where he says, "I have been obsessed with sex for as long as I can remember."

"There were too many strippers to count,” Odom said in an excerpt first provided to People ... "It wasn’t a big deal, but often I would pay them. I never thought less of them."

In the book, Odom also admits he cheated on Khloe Kardashian during their marriage -- and she found out.

"I was shocked and embarrassed,” Odom told People ... "I wanted to take it back, but you can’t. [I] wanted to hide it. But that sick sin was hard for me to hide ... I had a problem."

Odom and Kardashian were married in 2009 -- and even though they separated in 2013 ... they weren't officially divorced until 2016.

Odom also says porn addiction was a major issue for him -- and he was so obsessed with X-rated videos, "I ran out of porn to watch! That’s how you know when you are going a little overboard."

The 39-year-old also admitted to People that sex would trigger his drug use because it would allow him to "double up on that good feeling."

Of course, Odom's vices all came to a head at the Love Ranch brothel in Nevada in 2015 -- when the ex-NBA star overdosed during a cocaine and booze-fueled binge.

Odom says he still considers himself an addict -- but recently told TMZ Sports he feels like he's winning the battle.