Take It From Us with Kent Johns
If you're navigating mental health struggles, addiction or recovery — your own or someone else's — you'll hear what actually worked, what didn't and what people wish they'd known sooner.
Take It From Us features real people sharing their own journeys, unscripted and unfiltered. No theory, no talking points — just the honest, specific version of what recovery actually looks like.
Host Kent Johns is a broadcaster and health coach who believes everyone has a story worth hearing if someone takes the time to really listen. Each episode is that time.
Press play — you might hear your own story in someone else's.
If you need support, click here for helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
Take It From Us with Kent Johns
Melanie Rauth: Methamphetamine, prison and a second chance
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Melanie Rauth grew up in Australia. When her parents separated at 13, she started making different choices - cannabis, the wrong crowd, trouble at school. She had her daughter and in 2010 they moved to New Zealand.
Rural isolation and methamphetamine came next. Her life spiralled into crime and five prison stints between 2017 and 2021.
But on her last arrest, her young daughter had had enough of empty promises. "Show me," she said, and hung up the phone.
That conversation woke Melanie up. She got referred to the Alcohol and Other Drug Treatment Court, where people believed in her for the first time. They understood the drug was the problem, not her character.
Two years post-graduation, Melanie works as team leader at Auckland City Mission Social Detox. She's thriving in recovery and has found a calling helping others navigate the path she's walked.
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If you need support, here are helpful links, phone numbers and resources: https://ember.org.nz/resources/in-a-crisis/
