The warm sun rays of this spring morning have no effect on Daren’s sour mood as he examines the empty Vicodin bottle at the side of his bed. At 36, his strong features fail to betray a life of abuse and excess. The simple sparse bedroom provides a poor escape from his anxiety. The solution to his immediate problem is a phone call away and a ticket to Vegas is the fastest way to his favorite fix.

Walking down the posh warmly lit hallway of a luxury hotel, escorted by a butler, Daren, adorned by an array of insanely expensive jewelry, is playing the part of the high roller to perfection. The extravagant villa with an infinity pool overlooking the golf course provides the perfect stage. This is the ultimate background for Daren’s dark story, as the bright lights of Las Vegas not only fail to overshadow it, but add to its darkness.

Vegas has been Daren’s battle field for the past fifteen years, with few victories and many defeats. This time is different – Daren is not only facing the invincible giant that Vegas is, but is also confronting his past. His tragic and abusive childhood is at the root of his fears and addictions. A self-described “escape artist”, Daren turns to drugs, gambling, and women to numb the pain he has never been able to face.

Born and raised in a small town of Windom, Minnesota, his early life was marked with tragedy, when Daren’s father was severely handicapped in a race car accident. Void of a father figure, he craves attention in all of the wrong places, in the worst possible ways. Unable to deal with the harsh reality, Daren’s mother finds refuge in the local bars and the arms of male companions, while her son suffers from physical and psychological abuse from some of these men and sexual abuse from an older cousin.

Bestselling author John Bradshaw (Healing the Shame that Binds You, Bradshaw On: The Family), considered the leader of the self-help and recovery field, offers insight throughout Daren’s struggle with the war he wages against his addictions, his fractured childhood, and ultimately himself. Bradshaw shows us how toxic shame learned by family reinforcement leads to self-abuse, but also offers hope for healing and transformation.