
Heroin Was Killing Me | I Smuggled Drugs into Rikers Island & Nearly Died
From Rise Above with Kevin Lanning by Kevin Lanning
April 11, 2026 · 2h 13m
About this episode
John Rokee shares his harrowing journey through addiction and recovery, detailing the extreme lengths he went to maintain his drug use and his path to sobriety.
John Rokee’s story is a terrifying look at the lengths an addict will go to maintain a "perfect" life. By day, he was a high-earning union steamfitter. By night, he was a "chameleon" trapped in a $1.2 million downward spiral, snorting up to 200 bags of heroin a week. In this raw and "brutal" interview on Rise Above with Kevin Lanning, John details the physical and financial devastation of his addiction: The $1.2M Habit: The math behind a decade of OxyContin and heroin use that drained every union fund, savings account, and personal loan. The "Water Overdose": The shocking medical anomaly that put him in a week-long coma after he tried to flush his system to beat a drug test. Knocking at the Pearly Gates: Waking up in a hospital bed to find a priest performing his last rites when doctors said he would be a "vegetable." The True Healing: How John moved past 11 years of "white-knuckle" abstinence to find true spiritual recovery and a new life as a sober coach. Connect with John Rokee: Instagram/TikTok: @JohnRokee21 Website: JohnRokee.com If you or someone you love is struggling with addiction or mental health, you don’t have to do it alone. Reach out to my partners at Compassion…
People in this episode
Host: Kevin Lanning
Guest: John Rokee
Topics covered
- addiction
- recovery
- personal struggle
- heroin
- mental health
- spiritual healing
Keywords
- heroin addiction
- recovery stories
- OxyContin
- coma survivor
- spiritual recovery
- drug smuggling
- mental health
Mentioned in this episode
Organizations: Compassion Behavioral Health
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