About Me

My name is Clayton. I grew up in Danbury, CT, and had a really good childhood. I went to high school, and after that, I started working for a business in Ridgefield. After 11 years, I started my own business. I was a functional addict for a long time without realizing it. Being successful brought money, girls, cars, and parties. With the parties, my drinking increased, drugs got involved as I tried to fit in, and so on—everything a man without God ever wants. I was living an empty life. After some life events, I started drinking a lot—every day—and doing drugs outside the party environment. I began isolating myself to use drugs and skipping work to use drugs.

Before I knew it, I had lost all my clients, my girlfriend left me, I was getting evicted from my house, and I ended up living in my truck—homeless in my car. I started selling drugs to feed my expensive habit, which led to lots of arrests—exactly 14 in a 2-year period. I was in and out of jails and programs. I met people from all backgrounds: successful drug addicts, hookers, thieves, boosters, ex-doctors, ex-lawyers, ex-business owners like me, former active family members—some still had families, some had children, some lost their children, church people, all kinds of people. I came to notice that “addiction does not discriminate” and “drug addiction is an equal opportunity destroyer.” Drugs don't care if you were born around drugs or not, nor if you are a father or mother, or if you have a career, if you are a son or daughter of a pastor, a housecleaner, or the president. Drugs won’t discriminate against you.

You may say, “I don’t understand how people can do drugs? How can they start? They know it's dangerous and will ruin their lives. How can they do this?” Believe it or not, most people start using drugs through social interactions, particularly in peer-group settings. For many, initial use is driven by curiosity, a desire for social acceptance, or an attempt to cope with emotional distress. This is the facts!

Common "gateway" substances are alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana—the most frequent first substances tried, often during high school. Data shows that nearly 66% of alcohol users report it was the first substance they ever used. Approximately 86% of high school students know someone who drinks, smokes, or uses drugs during the school day. Roughly 41.7% to 48.7% of 12th graders have used alcohol (older reports suggest up to 70% by graduation). About 36.8% to 50% of seniors have tried an illicit drug at least once, with roughly 26% of 12th graders reporting use in the past 12 months.

In other words, this is just kids like you and I once were—having fun or trying to fit in. In most cases, that’s how it starts: just having fun. Many people, especially those with developing brains, start using simply to try a new experience or to feel a "rush" of pleasure. These facts are only for high school—if they make it to college, it’s even worse. You probably remember how it was: all the fun, girls, boys, parties. I never thought those people on the streets would be ex-doctors, lawyers, or nurses.

But not all start that way. Some begin using after trauma, abuse, or a difficult home environment. For others, particularly with opioids, use begins with a legitimate prescription from a healthcare provider or by obtaining a friend's or relative's prescribed medication for pain or anxiety. Individuals struggling with untreated mental health issues—such as depression, anxiety, or ADHD—often start using drugs as an "instant fix" to relieve emotional pain or stress.

That’s why I say drugs don’t discriminate. Everything can start as innocent as going out for drinks with a friend after a breakup. The bottom line: those people you see on the streets using drugs, panhandling, begging, or sleeping are someone’s sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, uncles. On the other side are families praying for them and waiting for their return.

After years of prayers and fasting from my mother, family, and churches, one day after I got out of jail at a respite waiting for treatment, I gave my life to Christ. I went back to my roots—God. I started praying every morning, every night, all the time.

My treatment this time was different because I had a Christ mentality. I was reading my Bible every day, only focused on learning how to get closer to God. I saw how people in the program struggled with the disease, but for me this time it was easy—even facing 14 arrests, living in a sober house, endless court dates. Everything has been so easy—no cravings, nothing. I was finally thinking clearly again with God’s guidance.

So I learned one major thing while in rehab: the rehab I was in was built and founded by a pastor, but after he died, they took God out of the teachings—just like they did to our schools and government, and we know how all that’s going.

God gave me a purpose in life: The Mount of Olives Rescue and Recovery Ministry. I will dedicate the rest of my life to this ministry, which will be a non-profit, Christian, and Bible-based rescue and recovery addiction rehab organization. It will be dedicated to teaching meaningful changes to support new lifestyle initiatives through teachings from the Bible infused with state-mandated procedures by licensed healthcare providers to provide the best outcomes for our patients. I’m not reinventing rehab—I’m just putting God back into it, showing our patients that God can cure them from that disease, the same way the Lord cured me. With a commitment to transparency and accountability, I will work diligently to create an eternal and lasting life difference in our clients and communities.

I proudly announce the good news: a special fundraising through sales and donations to support our future all-in-house programs that will lift men and women from the darkness of street life, drugs, and alcohol into healing, restoration, and renewed purpose in life. Every purchase and donation will help provide rehabilitation, housing, counseling, discipleship, and life-changing initiatives so those we serve can become beloved members of their families and communities once again.

Drug addiction's impact extends beyond the individual—it destroys families and communities too. That's the reason God gave me the purpose of bringing churches and the community together in this project.

I believe that most people currently in active addiction, experiencing homelessness, depression, or other mental health challenges are children of God—lost souls, just as I once was.

From observational data:

• Over 90% of people with substance use disorders have experienced at least one traumatic event in childhood (e.g., abuse, neglect, household dysfunction) — ACEs studies.

• Approximately 50–60% of individuals with serious mental illness (including depression) also have a co-occurring substance use disorder (NSDUH and SAMHSA data).

• Homelessness rates are significantly higher among those with severe mental illness (about 25–30% of the homeless population has serious mental illness, per HUD and other surveys).

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These conditions often stem from early life adversity, not inherent moral failure, and recovery statistics show that faith-based or spiritually integrated programs can produce higher long-term abstinence rates in some studies (e.g., 20–40% improvement in retention compared to secular programs in certain meta-analyses).

Please help me achieve this sanctuary. Together we can save lives and souls to Jesus Christ.

HOW YOU CAN HELP!