"In retrospect, my childhood was typical. I grew up in a middle-class family in Springfield, MA. I made a lot of friends in our small neighborhood, and we would play football in the street and ride our bikes through the woods.
I attended a Catholic elementary school, was baptized as an infant, and received my first communion in the church. But it wasn't until the community at His Mansion surrounded me that I began to understand what it means to have a relationship with Christ.
As I entered my teenage years, I was diagnosed with a learning disability. I responded with anger. I was placed into another school-a new place to try and fit in.
I began to identify with the rap culture. My idol was the rapper Eminem. I even dyed my hair blonde to be like him. His lyrics about feeling misunderstood resonated with me.
My relationship with my parents wasn't great either. They didn't understand what I was going through. And as the only son among three sisters, I created a completely different parenting experience for them.
My dad was angry much of the time and was difficult to be around. My mother, a nurse, spent a lot of time at work. I began to fulfill my need for connection in unhealthy relationships with girls. I was drinking and smoking, and then my girlfriend's family introduced me to opiates."
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