'Saving Lily' Confronts American Opioid Crisis with an Unflinching True Story and Roadmap for What Real Recovery Demands

Saving Lily Cover

The book serves as a perfect holiday gift for mental health professionals, people seeking recovery & loved ones & anyone interested in substance use narratives.

LAS VEGAS, NV, UNITED STATES, December 16, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- As the opioid epidemic continues to claim lives and expose deep failures across healthcare, mental health, and justice systems, a new book is cutting through the noise with a message both urgent and actionable. Saving Lily: Lessons from Building the Largest Addiction Treatment Center in Sin City During the Opioid Epidemic is a raw, true account from the front lines, where recovery is messy, systems are broken, and lives hang in the balance.

Co-authored by Dr. David Marlon, PsyD, a former addict turned recovery professional, and Jessica Kantor, mental health journalist, Saving Lily blends lived experience, clinical insight, and field-tested practice to reveal what addiction really looks like, and what it truly takes to save a life.

Set in Las Vegas, the epicenter of excess and consequence, the book follows two intertwined journeys: Dr. Marlon’s transformation from addiction to leadership in building one of the nation’s largest treatment centers, and Lily, a gifted but deeply traumatized woman battling both severe mental illness and substance use disorder. Through Lily’s story, Marlon and Kantor illuminate the devastating gaps that exist when co-occurring disorders are misunderstood, mismanaged, or ignored altogether.

More than a memoir, Saving Lily is a practical manual and moral challenge. The authors confront one-size-fits-all treatment models, expose systemic failures, and advocate for integrated, person-centered care rooted in dignity, accountability, and compassion. The result is a book that functions as both a warning and a blueprint.

“Well done. Easy to read and the truth about addiction.”
— Marilyn Kirkpatrick, Clark County Commissioner and former Legislator

Las Vegas Mayor and Former U.S. Congresswoman Shelley Berkley praises the book for balancing truth and accessibility, noting its ability to combine gripping lived experience with an academic understanding of addiction that speaks to both experts and everyday readers.

International thought leader Frank-Jürgen Richter, Chairman and Founder of Horasis, calls Saving Lily “a groundbreaking contribution to addiction literature” and “an indispensable compass for policymakers, clinicians, and communities seeking transformative solutions.”

Written for mental health professionals, policymakers, advocates, individuals seeking recovery and their families, as well as anyone interested in narratives around substance use, Saving Lily reframes addiction as a chronic brain disease while refusing to strip away the humanity of those living with it. It is a call to move beyond performative solutions and toward recovery models that work in the real world.

Book Details

Title: Saving Lily: Lessons from Building the Largest Addiction Treatment Center in Sin City During the Opioid Epidemic
Authors: David Marlon, PsyD & Jessica Kantor
Publisher: Post Hill Press
Distributor: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 9798895654774
Formats: Paperback & eBook
Genre: Memoir, Addiction & Recovery, Mental Health, Social Issues

Availability

Saving Lily is available now at major retailers:

Amazon: https://amzn.to/4rWH4Dl
Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3XZyUMX
Simon & Schuster: https://bit.ly/4pIGqIn
Hudson Booksellers: https://bit.ly/4oXzOo6
Target: https://bit.ly/4pH693T
Walmart: https://bit.ly/4903JGl
Post Hill Press: https://bit.ly/4iVmq2u

About the Authors

David Marlon, PsyD, LADC-S, CPC, is a nationally recognized interventionist, addictionologist, and CEO of Vegas Stronger, a nonprofit addressing homelessness by treating substance abuse and mental illness. He previously founded one of the country’s most successful addiction recovery centers in Southern Nevada after overcoming his own addiction. Dave serves as president of the Southern Nevada Association of Addiction Professionals and received the 2018 National Advocacy Award from NAADAC. He founded CARE Coalition and Solutions Foundation and helped establish Mission High School, the nation’s first public recovery high school. He served on the governor’s Substance Abuse Working Group and appears in A&E’s Intervention. Dave holds a Doctorate in Psychology from Walden University, a Master’s in Counseling and MBA from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, and a Bachelor’s in Economics from the State University of New York. He lives in Las Vegas with Marine Corps veteran Carolina Marlon, and their two sons.

Jessica Kantor is an independent journalist specializing in health, human rights, and social impact. Her work can be found in Fast Company, Healthcare Quarterly, Innately Science, and others. She has been a Solutions Insights Lab interviewer since 2023. Additionally, she provides communications strategy and writing for nonprofits and INGOs who are working on the Sustainable Development Goals. She is a living kidney donor based in Los Angeles.

Jessica Kantor
Co-Author
Jessicamkantor@gmail.com
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