Recovery Begins When Selfishness Dies — 41 Years Sober with Steve Stone

Steve Stone got clean in March 1985. He says from day one, he never once had a desire to go back. Not even in a dream.

But getting sober was only the beginning. After 17 years of using, Steve came home from his second rehab and immediately traded one obsession for another: work. It took years to find balance.

Then one morning at a local restaurant, he noticed a man at the next table shaking so badly he couldn't lift his coffee cup. Steve gave him his food. And in the middle of a quiet prayer asking God for a servant heart — he felt it happen. God rearranged his heart, right there.

That moment launched 41 years of service in Cumberland County — sponsorship, ministry, community work, and now a seat on the Tennessee Opioid Abatement Council.

In this conversation with Matt, Steve talks about what long-term recovery actually looks like, why discipline not practiced gets imposed on you, and the one word he gives anyone still fighting: surrender. Because you can't slap your own shadow — and you were never meant to fight this alone.