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The r/stopdrinking subreddit offers a supportive community of over 900,000 members committed to reducing or eliminating alcohol.
What You'll Discover:
• What r/stopdrinking is and how it works.
• Community culture and key features.
• How to participate effectively.
• Benefits of the stopdrinking community.
• Limitations to understand.
• When to supplement with professional support.
• Getting started on r/stopdrinking.
The r/stopdrinking subreddit has become one of the largest online communities focused on alcohol. With over 900,000 members, it provides 24/7 peer support for anyone questioning or changing their relationship with drinking. According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, social support significantly improves outcomes for people addressing alcohol use. This community offers one form of that support.
What Is r/stopdrinking?
The first thing to know is that r/stopdrinking is a Reddit community (subreddit) dedicated to supporting people who want to stop or reduce their drinking.
Basic facts:
• Over 900,000 members
• Active 24/7 across time zones
• Moderated community with clear rules
• Free to read and participate
• Anonymous participation possible
• No official affiliation with AA or other organizations
Community purpose:
The subreddit serves as a place where people can share their struggles, celebrate progress, ask questions, and support each other. It welcomes people at any stage, from those questioning their drinking to those with years of sobriety.
What you'll find:
• Daily check-in posts
• Personal stories and experiences
• Questions about quitting or cutting back
• Milestone celebrations (any number of days)
• Advice for specific situations
• Support during difficult moments
Something to consider is that r/stopdrinking is peer support, not professional treatment. Members are people with their own experiences, not medical professionals or counselors.
Community Culture and Features
r/stopdrinking has developed its own culture and features over time.
IWNDWYT: The community motto is "I Will Not Drink With You Today" (often abbreviated IWNDWYT). Members use this phrase to commit to staying sober for the current day. The focus on one day at a time reduces overwhelm and makes goals manageable.
Badge system: Members can request a badge showing their consecutive days without drinking. Badges update automatically. This provides visible accountability and a sense of progress.
Daily check-in: Every day, a new check-in post appears where members can commit to not drinking for that day. This ritual creates community connection and daily accountability.
Strict moderation: The community is heavily moderated to maintain a supportive atmosphere. Rules prohibit:
• Posting while intoxicated
• Advocating drinking in moderation
• Self-promotion
• Unhelpful or judgmental comments
Supportive tone: The culture emphasizes encouragement over judgment. Members who relapse are generally welcomed back without shame.
For that reason, r/stopdrinking has a different feel than general internet forums. The moderation and culture create a consistently supportive environment.
How to Participate Effectively
Getting the most from r/stopdrinking requires understanding how to engage.
Getting started:
First post options:
• Introduce yourself and your situation
• Share why you're considering stopping
• Ask a specific question
• Respond to someone else's post first
Engaging productively:
• Comment on the daily check-in
• Respond to new posts (newcomers especially appreciate support)
• Share what's working for you
• Ask for help when struggling
• Celebrate milestones (yours and others')
What makes posts successful:
• Honesty about your situation
• Specific questions get specific answers
• Sharing both struggles and successes
• Expressing gratitude for support
Community etiquette:
• Don't post while intoxicated
• Don't advocate drinking in moderation (against rules)
• Don't give medical advice
• Be supportive of different approaches to sobriety
• Respect the abstinence focus of this particular community
If it seems like the rules are strict, that's because they are. The strict moderation is what maintains the supportive environment that makes the community valuable.
Benefits of r/stopdrinking
The community offers several unique advantages.
24/7 availability: Someone is always online. Whether it's 3 AM and you're struggling with cravings or Sunday morning celebrating a milestone, support is available.
Anonymous support: No one needs to know who you are. You can share honestly without fear of judgment from people in your daily life.
Volume of experience: Hundreds of thousands of members means nearly every situation has been discussed. Search the archives for topics specific to your situation.
Daily structure: The daily check-in provides a simple ritual that many find helpful. Committing publicly to not drink today creates accountability.
Visible progress: Badge counters make progress tangible. Watching days accumulate provides motivation.
No cost: Completely free to read and participate.
Low barrier: No signup required to read. Can observe before committing to participation.
All that said, these benefits make r/stopdrinking valuable as one component of support, though it works best combined with other resources.
Limitations to Understand
Like any peer community, r/stopdrinking has meaningful limitations.
Not professional treatment:
• Members are peers, not medical providers
• Cannot prescribe medication
• Cannot provide therapy
• Medical advice may be inaccurate
Abstinence-focused:
• Moderation goals not supported on this subreddit
• May not fit everyone's approach
• Other communities exist for harm reduction
Variable quality:
• Advice quality depends on who responds
• Some information may be outdated or incorrect
• Personal experiences may not apply to your situation
No medication guidance:
• Community cannot prescribe
• Some members unfamiliar with medication options
• May miss effective evidence-based treatments like naltrexone
Internet limitations:
• Text-based support lacks personal connection
• Anonymous relationships have limits
• Cannot provide crisis intervention
Understanding these limitations helps you use r/stopdrinking appropriately as part of a broader approach.
When to Supplement With Professional Support
r/stopdrinking works well as part of a comprehensive approach.
Consider professional support if:
• You're experiencing withdrawal symptoms
• You've tried to quit multiple times without lasting success
• You want medication to reduce cravings
• Underlying mental health issues need addressing
• You need personalized guidance and accountability
• Medical supervision may be necessary
Signs r/stopdrinking alone isn't enough:
• Posting repeatedly about the same struggles
• Not progressing despite community engagement
• Physical health concerns
• Needing more than peer encouragement
What professional support adds:
• Medical evaluation and monitoring
• Medication options like naltrexone
• Personalized treatment plans
• Therapy for underlying issues
• Accountability with professionals
Our article on how naltrexone helps you regain control explains how medication can complement peer support.
Combining r/stopdrinking With Other Resources
The most effective approach often combines multiple forms of support.
r/stopdrinking + medication: Naltrexone works by blocking opioid receptors in the brain, reducing cravings and the rewarding effects of alcohol. Taking a daily 50mg tablet addresses the biological aspects while r/stopdrinking provides peer motivation and shared experience.
r/stopdrinking + coaching: Professional coaching offers personalized guidance while the subreddit provides 24/7 peer support between sessions.
r/stopdrinking + therapy: Therapy addresses underlying issues professionally while the community offers daily connection.
r/stopdrinking + other meetings: Many members also attend AA, SMART Recovery, or other in-person or online meetings.
For more on combining support options, see our article on alcohol support.
Other Reddit Communities
If r/stopdrinking's abstinence focus doesn't fit your approach, other subreddits exist.
Related communities:
• r/dryalcoholics: more relaxed moderation, harm reduction accepted
• r/alcoholism: general discussion, family members welcome
• r/alcoholicsanonymous: AA-focused discussions
• r/redditorsinrecovery: broader substance recovery community
For more on Reddit options, see our article on Reddit alcoholism communities.
Getting Started
r/stopdrinking offers a supportive community of hundreds of thousands of people committed to changing their relationship with alcohol. The daily check-ins, badge system, and consistent moderation create a uniquely helpful environment for peer support.
If you want to combine community support with evidence-based medical treatment, take the online Alcohol Use Assessment to see if naltrexone and the Choose Your Horizon program might be right for you.
