The other day we discussed Michael Phelps’ Under Armour ad. Phelps, 30, has earned 22 Olympic medals and is the most decorated Olympian in history. If he qualifies at the trials in Omaha, he will also be returning to the Olympics in Rio for the last time. Phelps’ life became messy as a result of some destructive behavior, which manifested itself in his drinking. Phelps was arrested for his second DUI in September 2014. After his arrest, he completed rehab and has remained sober for 18 months. At the US Olympic Committee’s media summit on Tuesday, Phelps opened up about his life in a way he never has before. Here are some highlights:

On his sobriety: “I’m just living a freer, happier life now, and I think it’s something that is a huge change. I don’t feel like I’m carrying weights around anymore. Whatever I’d been holding inside of me, I was able to get it out and was able to start fresh, and that’s a pretty incredible feeling. I see a compete change in my body; a complete change in how I am day to day. Completely clear headed. I don’t have a headache, which is really awesome. All those small things that really add up. … I’m actually happy every day. Able to be productive every day. That’s something I’m able to be very proud of.”

On how he is perceived: “I’m not sure the world has seen who I am. I think you’ve seen me as a swimmer, but not at all as a person. This is an opportunity for me to be myself and, to be quite honest, you have whatever opinion you have of me and that’s fine. I am who I am and I’m not sugar coating.”

On opening up: “I think you saw how difficult it was to not share anything for so many years. When I look in the mirror, I’m still the same person but how I approach things is a little different. I’m a lot more laid back, I’m a lot more open. I keep the most important people closer to me than I ever have before. I actually pick up the phone when somebody calls — that’s a big change. I’m just more engaged in everything I do in my life.”

On why Rio is so important: “I wanted to do it the way I should have done it in 2012. I wanted to prepare for an Olympic Games like I should have… Twenty years later, if I’d looked back to London, I think I would have been disappointed with myself and … that’s something I never wanted to live with.”

On his achievements: “I was looking at the medals and I was like, `Wow, that’s pretty cool.’ For the first time, I was able to look back at my career and be really excited and be proud of what I did. Because I never had the chance to do that before.”

[From USA Today and The Washington Post]

The London Olympics sound like a really low-point for Phelps. He refused to train properly saying, “I wanted nothing to do with the sport,” even though he walked away with six medals. When Phelps was diagnosed with ADHD in the fifth grade, he found swimming was a great tool in dealing with the complications of ADHD. My son has ADHD. He was so inspired by Phelps that he took up golf, which he has found he can focus on fully without medication. He is not looking to go down in the golf record books but he has hope that he can further overcome his challenges. We can’t wait to see Phelps swim in Rio, regardless of the end medal count.

Speaking of sons, Michael and his fiancée Nicole’s son will be with them in Rio. Phelps’ told Us Weekly, “One of the coolest things about being a father going into Rio is that our firstborn has the chance to see my last race ever. I think that’s something that’ll be really special that we’ll be able to share stories with him, you know, from the time he gets old enough to realize, and I’m excited to have a lot of photos and just to share the moments and memories with him growing up as a kid.” Junior Phelps will certainly have one heck of a brag book.

Weight day! #5chains @kkrirsh #aquagenie @underarmour #speedformfortis-night ? @arschmitty

A photo posted by Michael Phelps (@m_phelps00) on Feb 16, 2016 at 12:13pm PST

Embed from Getty Images

Embed from Getty Images

Photo credit: WENN Photos and Getty Images