Exit the Maze - by Donna Marks (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In this easy-to-read revised and expanded edition of Exit the Maze, Dr. Donna Marks makes the revolutionary claim that there is only one addiction with many faces, and the key to overcoming addiction is self-love.

Millions of lives are lost to addiction every year, causing more direct and indirect deaths than any other illness. In a world where many things are uncertain, we do know this: There are many kinds of addiction, and in spite of treatment and everything else we're doing, addiction is only increasing.

Dr. Donna Marks, a renowned psychotherapist, addictions counselor, and teacher of A Course in Miracles for more than thirty years, merges her professional experience and her own personal history of substance dependency to offer a single revolutionary solution to all addictions in this expanded and revised edition of Exit the Maze. No matter what someone is addicted to--alcohol, prescription or illegal drugs, smoking, working, gambling, and so forth--loving yourself is the key to recovery. This doesn't mean the road is easy or a few acts of self-care will do the trick; the journey to true self-love includes delving deep into your past trauma to understand where your addiction began, addressing those fear-based traumas with compassion and forgiveness, exchanging bad habits with beneficial ones, and staying committed to the recovery process. Allow love to guide you through the maze of addiction and back to living your best life.

Review Quotes

"Exit the Maze addresses the root cause and provides a single solution to the single, greatest contributor to broken homes, broken marriages, depression, anxiety, and addiction. Dr. Marks does not hold back or sugarcoat the problem or solution; rather, she communicates the problem clearly and with supporting science, case studies, and the ultimate Source of all healing, love, and forgiveness. It confirms what society already knows, that pills, abstinence, and programs simply aren't enough to battle the inner conflicts and struggles so many live with. Exit the Maze gives you the permanent solution that you can employ at will at any time. "--Dr. Rollan Roberts II, www.CourageousExperience.com: Where Amazing Happens

Exit the Maze 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, career, 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 is an unexpectedly touching book on addiction and recovery that you must put on your reading list.--Tammy Ruggles for Reader Views (10/2020)

"Dr. Donna Marks' book, Exit the Maze is the best book that I have read on the illness of addiction and its successful treatment in the last forty years (with the possible exception of Freedom From Addiction 3, which I wrote.) Donna, like myself, thinks outside the box, and that's what makes her book a must-read for anyone who has an addictive behavior, has a family member with an addictive behavior, or has a friend with an addictive behavior. "--Rev. Winn Henderson, MD, world-renowned addiction expert

"In her new book, Dr. Marks takes on an industry in dire need of transformation--the confusing and often ineffective world of addiction treatment. As a seasoned treatment professional and industry insider, she exposes the greed and outright incompetence that has transformed a once esteemed profession and offers solutions to bring a heart, a soul, and a standard of professional excellence to the provision of institutional behavioral health care."--Paul L. Hokemeyer, JD, PhD, therapist and author of Fragile Power