Michael Phelps opens up on Ambien use and near overdose during painful mental health struggle (Image via Getty)
Michael Phelps is opening up about one of the hardest times in his life, and this time, he is being very honest. In a new interview with NBC Nightly News, he shared how close he came to losing everything.
The 28-time Olympic medal winner said he was struggling with drugs, dark thoughts, and pain. What stopped things from going worse was something simple but life-saving.
Michael Phelps shares drug struggle and the moment that stopped him from overdosing in NBC Nightly News interview with Tom Llamas
Michael Phelps sat down with Tom Llamas for a special series called “Great Americans,” which aired on April 17. During the talk, he spoke about a time when he felt like he did not want to live anymore. He said he was using a prescription sleep drug, Ambien, during that phase.
Then he made a very real and scary admission. “You know, I’m happy I only had 30 milligrams left,” Phelps said.He explained that if he had more pills, things could have gone very differently. “If I had 100, I probably would have taken it all. And who knows if I’m sitting here today?” That moment hit him hard. It made him stop and think. He realized something had to change. “So for me at that point, I was like, ‘Something’s gotta change,’” he said.
That became a turning point in his life.
Michael Phelps says asking for help changed everything as he opens up about mental health and identity struggles
After that moment, Michael Phelps did something he had never done before. He asked for help. “That was the first time in my life I asked for help,” he said. He also spoke about how he saw himself during his career. For years, he did not feel like a normal person.“My whole career, I looked in the mirror and saw somebody with a pair of goggles and a swimming cap, not somebody with feelings and emotions.”
He added, “I never saw myself as a human being.”But things are different now. Today, he feels more like himself and is comfortable talking about his emotions. “It’s a gray beard and a man bun, and I love it because I’m able to talk about my feelings and emotions,” he said.Phelps also shared that helping others now means more to him than winning medals. “It’s wild, and for me, that’s better than winning the Olympic gold medal,” he said.He explained that when people thank him for speaking openly, it means everything. “There’s nothing you can say, nothing you can do that’s better than that, giving somebody a chance to be their authentic self and live life how they should.”
