I SPENT THE FIRST TWO AND A HALF DECADES OF MY LIFE like a lost sheep that had wandered from his shepherd. I had looked everywhere for happiness and meaning in life. A few years after I'd finished college, I was ready to call off the search and put an end to my frustration.
This would all change when a friend gave me the wonderful gift of Christian Science.
Up until then, life had been anything but pleasant. I'd had a long battle with alcohol addiction, several years of daily marijuana use, and numerous prescription pain pill overdoses, including one that nearly took my life. In college, an obsession with steroid use led to a nearly 50–pound weight gain. My own family barely recognized me.
