IN THIS ISSUE · SPRING 2026 — Read the cover story
For Steve Stone, recovery was never meant to be the end of the story.
It became the beginning of a lifelong commitment to helping others find hope, healing, and a path forward.
Today, the longtime Cumberland County businessman, community leader, and recovery advocate is approaching an extraordinary milestone: more than four decades of sobriety. Yet when Stone talks about recovery, he does not focus on the years behind him. Instead, he focuses on the responsibility that came with them.
For him, recovery is not a destination. It is a lifestyle.
Stone battled addiction for nearly seventeen years before reaching a turning point in 1985.
“I finally got to the place where I’d had enough,” he recalls. “I went and got help.”
That decision changed the course of his life.
When he returned home, he made another commitment that would shape the next forty years. He would stay connected to recovery and never forget where he came from.
Today, he continues attending meetings regularly, just as he has for decades.
“In March it’ll be forty-one years,” he says. “And I still go.”
What began as a personal commitment eventually evolved into a mission of service.
One of Stone’s most visible contributions has been his role in establishing Fourth Dimension, a nonprofit organization that provides meeting space for Alcoholics Anonymous and Narcotics Anonymous groups in Cumberland County.
Stone helped establish the organization during the 1980s and has served as chairman for decades.
Today, Fourth Dimension operates two facilities that host recovery meetings throughout the week. On many evenings, sixty to seventy individuals walk through the doors seeking support, encouragement, and connection.
Some are celebrating years of sobriety.
Others are attending their very first meeting.
All are welcomed.
For Stone, providing a safe place for recovery remains one of the community’s most important investments.
While recovery remains a central focus, Stone has also dedicated years to prevention efforts through his work with the Cumberland Prevention Coalition.
As a founding director of the state and federally funded organization, he has helped lead initiatives designed to prevent substance abuse before it begins.
The coalition works directly with local schools, educates healthcare and legal professionals, promotes medication safety for senior citizens, and provides resources that help families better understand addiction and recovery.
One growing concern Stone sees is youth vaping.
“Nicotine addiction is happening very early now,” he says. “And it opens the door for other substances.”
Through education and outreach programs, the coalition continues working to address emerging challenges facing today’s youth.
For more than twenty years, Stone has also served on the Foster Care Review Board, helping advocate for children who have been removed from unsafe living situations.
Each month, the board reviews cases under the direction of General Sessions Court, ensuring children’s needs remain a priority throughout the process.
Many of those cases share a common thread.
“Over ninety percent of those children are there because their parents are addicted to drugs,” Stone explains.
The statistic serves as a powerful reminder of addiction’s ripple effects and the importance of both prevention and recovery resources.
Whenever possible, Stone and fellow board members work to connect struggling parents with treatment programs and recovery support services.
Stone’s commitment to serving others did not begin with recovery.
He grew up in a family where community involvement, generosity, and volunteerism were simply part of daily life.
His parents and grandparents believed deeply in giving back and investing in their neighbors.
“I’m standing on the shoulders of giants,” he says.
Those values followed him into his professional life as well.
After graduating from Tennessee Tech University with a degree in business management, Stone joined the family business full-time. In reality, his connection to the company began much earlier. He started sweeping floors at age thirteen.
By the time he retired in 2019, he had spent more than fifty years helping build the organization.
His career allowed him to travel extensively and meet leaders from across the country, but his commitment to Cumberland County never wavered.
Today, Stone serves on numerous nonprofit and civic boards throughout the region, many focused on strengthening families, supporting recovery, and improving quality of life for local residents.
When asked what continues to motivate him after so many years, his answer remains remarkably simple.
“I just want to give back.”
He understands how fortunate he was to return from addiction to a stable environment and strong support system.
“I came out of addiction and went back into a good environment,” he says. “A lot of people don’t have that.”
That perspective drives his work every day.
Each morning, Stone and his wife begin their day with a simple prayer.
They ask God to allow them to be the answer to someone’s prayer.
It is a philosophy that has guided decades of service, advocacy, mentorship, and recovery work throughout Cumberland County.
After more than forty years of sobriety, Steve Stone’s story stands as a powerful reminder that recovery does more than change individual lives.
Sometimes it strengthens families.
Sometimes it restores hope.
And sometimes, it helps transform an entire community.
Written by Melissa Ellis
Photography by Olivia Merritt
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