Olympic Gold medalist swimmer Ryan Lochte is celebrating all the ways Jesus has changed his life.
“Today marks 475 days drug-free and depression free!” the former athlete posted on Instagram last month.
Earlier this year, he admitted that after the 2021 Olympic trials, he found himself in “a very big depression.”
“My mental health was gone and the household that I was living in, it was toxic and it wasn’t good for me,” the six-time gold medalist told The New York Post. “I was lost and it didn’t help that my other partner at the time would say, ‘You’re worthless, you’re a loser. You need to get up and get a job.’ And I was like, ‘I really can’t. I don’t know what to do. I’m lost.'”
A near fatal car accident in 2023 pushed Lochte into using dugs and alcohol.
“I just did it to escape the hell that I was living in,” he admitted. “It was mostly weed and cocaine. Yeah, it’s horrible. I look at myself now and I’m just like, what was I ever thinking?”
Now, 475 days clean, Lochte is praising the Lord.
Related: Rock Bottom to Redemption: How Faith Transformed Olympian Ryan Lochte
“What a beautiful year this has been for me. Lots of shame and owning mistakes but learning I’m forgiven in Jesus. Changing habits and becoming the man I was always meant to be but didn’t know how to be,” he wrote on Instagram, alongside photos celebrating his first 92 days sober and his baptism, plus a snap of him with his future wife.
“I love my future wife more than words can explain,” he continued. “The way she supports me, believes in me and stands beside me has changed my outlook on life. Knowing I have a Heavenly Father who loves me through my struggles, and a partner who supports me as I grow, has helped me find peace and purpose again.”
“Depression almost took my life,” Lochte confessed. “That’s why I’ll never stop telling my story or reaching out to others who are struggling. You deserve support, and you don’t have to face it alone. I got knocked down, but I’m back. And I’m grateful to be here.”
Lochte got baptized a year ago, sharing at the time, “My heart is full of so much love and happiness and I’m just so thankful for everything God is doing and going to do in my life.”
His latest sobriety milestone marks a very different victory than standing on an Olympic podium. Praise God for His powerful work in Lochte’s life and his testimony that recovery is possible, with Jesus’ help.
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