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Jack’s Journal: Finding Hope

Greg is an addict. He’s been in long term recovery since June 26, 1987. 

His path has been an interesting one.  He was Middle America, president of the Fort Myers Beach Little League, a member of the Rotary and Lions Clubs, but alcohol got in the way.

On that June day he was ready to die, he needed help.  More on how he got there in a moment. 

He completed treatment and that’s when he started his life of helping others.

“I started to facilitate that group. One thing led to another. I had a friend who ran another treatment center. He asked if I would fill in on a group. So one thing lead to another, that’s how it all started,” explains Greg Stone.

Over the years, Greg has led many a meeting, advocated for recovery centers and help for families. He’s logged lots of hours. His message: hope.

“Not just to the addicts but to families. They don’t know what to do. When you got a kid dying and you can’t do anything. Most of them don’t know we as a society that, hey if you reach out, talk about it, if you get beyond the anger, guilt, shame, there’s a lot of help out there,” says Greg.

Greg was at that point, rock bottom. Then he got a phone call from a man he had a lot of anger for, the man he felt deserted him as a child, the guy that was never there. When life was at a tipping point, the man he thought didn’t care called and offered hope.

“So when I got to that point that I was ready to die, because of my own addiction, and he was there to help me. And then went to Miami and everywhere I went people said ‘Wow, your dad is Marvin Stone? Oh my, he helped me!’ It’s unreal,” says Greg.

The years of anger and resentment for his dad melted away. He began to understand. Then the son followed his dad in the effort to help others with find hope.