Growing up on the streets of Houston, Texas, Minister Allen Brentwood Mardis became addicted to alcohol at the age of eleven, sneaking sips of his father's spiked coffee and later skipping school to drink with friends. In this gripping memoir, Mardis recounts his experience dropping out of school in the sixth grade and moving in and out of the penal system, struggling to get help for the gnawing ache he filled with drugs and alcohol. Clean and sober for twelve years now, Mardis shares how his newfound faith in Christ Jesus turned his life around, and made him realize what was truly missing. Minister Allen Brentwood Mardis was born in Houston, Texas. He is an elder at his local church. Later in his life, he received his GED as well as an A.A.S. degree in electronic communications. He resides in Timpson, Texas with his wife, Carla.