“Exit the Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure” by Dr. Donna Marks

Exit the Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure

Dr. Donna Marks
Westward Publishing (2020)
ISBN: 9780578595450
Reviewed by Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (10/2020)

“Exit the Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure,” by Donna Marks, is a comprehensive, clear-cut book that approaches addiction from a simple, logical angle; with a focus on love and support. Addiction is a chemical problem, of course, but it’s also a personal problem. A lot of addiction books discuss the problem, but rarely a solution that satisfies – Dr. Marks offers answers, reasons, and advice that can change your life; maybe even save your life, if you are one of the millions caught up in the maze of addiction. It’s a revolving door, and this author pulls back the curtain to show what the addiction/recovery industry is really like behind the scenes–greedy, malfunctioning, and misguided. Besides backing up her model with years of experience, case studies, and data, she offers something a lot of addiction treatment specialists don’t, and that is real hope for lasting recovery.

One advantage this book has over other self-help, addiction books is that it’s easy to follow, and appeals to common sense. So many books on dependency are laden with facts, figures, charts, and world-weary modes of treatment, that they don’t connect with the readers who need help the most: Those struggling with substance use. What good is a book on addiction if those living with the problem can’t relate to it?

Although this book is a great tool for addiction specialists or counselors, it’s also perfect for the layperson. It’s all about loving yourself enough to see what’s really going on in your heart and in your life. Why make addiction or recovery harder than it has to be? I especially like her take on the nature of addiction; that it comes in many forms. You will appreciate the anecdotes, as they lend a human component to the science. We are all born with a void that needs to be filled. Some fill it with education, or career, or sports, sex, entertainment, etc. Love and self-love is meant to fill this void, but if you aren’t aware of this, or go looking for satisfaction in the wrong place, drugs/alcohol can end up there instead.

“Exit the Maze: One Addiction, One Cause, One Cure,” by Donna Marks, is an unexpectedly touching book on addiction and recovery that you must put on your reading list.