Ryan Lochte is reflecting on the 2016 gas station incident in Brazil that changed his life forever ... saying he was so distraught over it all, he at one point felt like the worst man in the world.
Lochte -- a 12-time Olympic medalist -- joined ex-NFL QB Jay Cutler on his "Uncut" podcast this week ... and the two discussed the infamous incident that landed him in hot water.
"I had rude awakenings," Lochte says, "being where everyone loved me and I was on top of the world, I felt like.