Michael Phelps’ Sister Hilary Opens Up On Battle With Alcoholism, Sobriety

Hilary Phelps, the older sister of the most accomplished swimmer of all-time, Michael Phelps, recently spoke openly about her battle with alcoholism that started early in life and her 15-year anniversary of sobriety last year.

Phelps, 44, has been a recovering alcoholic since 2007, but kept things quiet for fear of how she would be perceived by others, due to the stigma surrounding alcoholism, particularly for women.

“Nobody knew,” Phelps told TODAY.com. “It was my secret.”

A 2019 study found that women with alcohol use disorder (AUD) are less likely to seek out treatment than men.

“We’re expected to raise children like we don’t work and work like we don’t have children,” she said. “We’re in this mindset of, ‘I’ve got to do this all by myself.’ If you go to any 12-step meeting, you’ll hear women talking about the shame they feel for needing help.”

Phelps first revealed that she had battled alcoholism in May 2022, and said she had been inspired by Michael, who has been open about his mental health struggles in the past and has become an advocate in the space.

Phelps, who was frequently seen by swimming fans in the stands alongside mother Debbie and sister Whitney at Michael’s major competitions over the years, said she had her first drink when she was 14.

Successful in both the classroom and the pool at the time, she said she felt as though she wasn’t good enough, and drinking was a means to escape those feelings.

“Even though I had all of these successes, I always felt like I just wasn’t good enough, I wasn’t funny enough, I wasn’t pretty enough,” Phelps said. “Getting drunk was a way to kind of quiet those voices. It numbed that pain.”

The timing also aligned with younger sister Whitney surpassing her in the water.

“Everyone was paying attention to Whitney,” she says. “We’re really close in age, so that was hard on me.”

Phelps went on to swim at Division 1 Richmond University, but consistently partied. Her roommates even staged an intervention at one point, but it didn’t work.

“As soon as I started pouring alcohol into my body, all bets were off,” she said of her time in college. “I didn’t care that I had a 7 a.m. practice the next morning. Nothing mattered.”

She told TODAY.com that there isn’t a singular low point, but added that it was a miracle she didn’t “end up dead in a ditch.”

“There were so many rock bottoms. I’d be hungover every day at work and just sitting there trying to keep my head up. I had pain in my kidneys. My body physically hurt.”

She also spoke about how some view alcoholism as something one can motivate themselves to overcome, which isn’t the case.

“A lot of people think that alcoholism is a willingness thing,” she said. “Like, if you really want to quit, you can. But I physically couldn’t stop.”

In 2007, at the age of 29, she finally made the decision to make a change, having reached out to a friend who had given up alcohol who encouraged her to take the first step toward sobriety.

Phelps then checked into a detox facility, where she was prescribed a drug that makes you ill if you drink. She also began practicing yoga and attended 12-step meetings.

She credits Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) with saving her life.

“I pictured this sad room filled with creepy men in trench coats, but meetings are wonderful. You hear these crazy stories, and then there are huge successes and joys,” she said. “I’ve never laughed harder than I do in 12-step meetings because everyone is just real and honest and vulnerable.”

In June 2022, she celebrated 15 years of sobriety.

 

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Phelps, who is divorced and shares her five-year-old son with her ex-husband, said that the loss of her father, Fred, in October was a recent hurdle she had to overcome in sobriety.

“My dad and I were exceptionally close,” she said. “After he died, all I wanted to do was go to a bar and get wasted — to numb the pain.”

Instead, Phelps opted to go to a meeting. She says that having shared her story with the world, she now feels free.

“Nobody wants to be divorced at 44 and starting their life over again. But I’m happy. I am finally comfortable in my own skin. Everything got better after I shared my secret. You’re only as sick as your secrets, and now that I’ve let it out, I’m free.”