Sportswriter and Recovery Advocate Reveals the Healing Effects of a Canine Companion in Addiction Struggle

Announcing the release of a memoir by sportswriter and recovery advocate Mark Saluke: LUCY'S WAY: A Dog, A Drunk, and The Tao

MARION, IN, UNITED STATES, July 9, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Today Mark Saluke is a recovery advocate, a storyteller, and a seeker of meaning. But in 2007 he was spiraling from one blackout to the next, heading toward an early grave.

In his debut memoir, LUCY’S WAY: A Dog, A Drunk, and The Tao, Saluke captures the raw ache of addiction, the redemptive power of connection, and the quiet, spiritual strength of an unlikely teacher. But this book is more than a personal memoir, delivering powerful rewards for its readers: unfiltered truth, spiritual grounding, and hope forged through pain.

“What started as scribblings into a journal grieving the loss of my dog I’d known more than fourteen years quickly grew teeth as I realized there were three distinct elements to this story,” Saluke says. Chronicling his journey from addiction to recovery, LUCY’S WAY is “a journey tying together the threads of addiction, our relationship to pets, and the central tenets of Taoism into a unique tapestry. Spanning my first twelve years of recovery from alcoholism and substance use, this story relates how a dog helped me learn simple concepts of recovery and spirituality. It's a book for pet people, for anyone who has dealt directly or indirectly with addiction, and for anyone who has ever wanted to simplify their thoughts on spirituality.”

It’s rare to find a memoir that offers equal parts of gut-punch and gentle balm, but that’s what Saluke has created, delivering a book that speaks with vulnerability, wisdom and soul.

In a five-star review of Lucy’s Way for Readers Favorite, K.C. Finn noted that the appeal of the book is universal, able to cast a net of impact over even those who haven’t loved a pet or battled with addiction personally or indirectly. “[The] way the Taoist insights come into the narration is very natural and poignant, and it gives the recovery story a philosophical quality that will be interesting even for those who haven’t experienced addiction or dependency issues,” Finn said. “[Saluke] holds nothing back in this powerful tale of addiction and self-reflection, and his honest, raw memoir is both deeply vulnerable and remarkably hopeful for anyone going through similar trials.”

Lucy’s Way launched in April, hitting No. 1 in Amazon’s Top New Release categories of Alcoholism and Recovery, Pet Loss and Grief, and Love and Loss in its first 24 hours of release. It can also be ordered through bookstores worldwide, and the ebook is universally available through major digital outlets as well.

With the introduction of his website www.lucy-books.com in May, Saluke introduced the slogan “Have you found Lucy’s Way?” as a means of connecting with readers, including others who feel broken, lost or disconnected so they can know that there is light at the end of the tunnel.

Saluke has recently launched a book events campaign. Coming off a successful first signing at Barnes and Noble in Noblesville, IN on July 5, Saluke has more readings, signings and events slated in the upcoming weeks and months.

Mark Saluke spent 15 years in active addiction. A Taoist sticking to the premise of Beginner’s Mind to keep himself out of trouble, Mark has been active in mindfulness groups and his recovery community since 2008.

As a newspaper journalist over the span of two decades, Mark has written sports, human interest, business and education stories for the Kokomo Tribune and other publications. After semi-retiring from the newspaper business in 2019, he found a calling in the community mental health field, catering to a population of clientele dealing with depression, anxiety and other mental illnesses as well as substance use disorders.

LUCY’S WAY was published by the author in affiliation with the Fearless Assisted Publishing program, a leading service in independent publishing.

D. Patrick Miller
Fearless Books & Literary Services
msaluke@hotmail.com
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