If you’re not already familiar with it, Reddit is the 18th most visited website in the world. This massive, heavily text-based forum is a veritable cornucopia of content on just about any topic you can imagine. Like many of Reddit’s digital groupings, its recovery community and subreddits are chock full of insight and support. 

This Innovo Detox article is about Reddit’s recovery community and more specifically its IWNDWYT mantra.

Where Did IWNDWYT Come From?

Born from Reddit’s r/StopDrinking subreddit, a part of the forum’s wider recovery community, IWNDWYT (I Will Not Drink With You Today) began as a mantra of sorts a little over 5 years ago. The acronym came about as a sign of solidarity between the subreddit members in recovery or trying to quit drinking.

IWNDWYT soon grew beyond the boundaries of r/StopDrinking and spread through the wider Reddit recovery community. Naturally, it’s got a subreddit all its own now too, r/IWNDWYT but it’s gone so much further.

Like a million other good ideas that first took root in Reddit, IWNDWYT has now cross-pollinated throughout the Internet. You will come across it as a hashtag It wouldn’t surprise us if many, if not most of the people using the acronym today aren’t aware of its origins. But, perhaps where IWNDWYT came from isn’t nearly as important as the profound, but powerful idea that it represents. 

What Does IWNDWYT Mean?

By now you know that IWNDWYT stands for I Will Not Drink With You Today. But what is the larger meaning of the acronym and phrase? Why has it taken off with such viral ferocity? It all starts with Alcoholics Anonymous. The original 12-step group, founded in 1935, is a loosely organized fellowship of people who meet to support one another in sobriety.

One of the most common misunderstandings about AA is that the key to sobriety is the meetings. Most people who aren’t in AA think that AA is the meetings. It’s not. The meetings are for support, but they aren’t the program or the entirety of the solution. Alcoholics Anonymous is really about working the 12 steps. All 12 of them. But, we digress.

The Connection Between IWNDWYT and Alcoholics Anonymous 

So, where does IWNDWYT come into all that? Well, one of the many clever things about AA is its aphorisms and sayings. There are dozens of them. Some are “official” in the literature, and some are not-so-official like the dated “Behind every skirt is a slip”. Perhaps the most well-known AA saying of all is “One Day At A Time”. 

The idea beyond the 24-hour rule is simple. If you’re in the midst of active alcoholism, thinking about not drinking another drop of alcohol for the rest of your life can be a seriously overwhelming prospect. It seems like an impossibility to most people. Committing to 24 hours without a drink seems far more manageable. And what is life, if not a bunch of 24-hour periods strung together, right? 

IWNDWYT is Both A Promise To Yourself And A Sign of Solidarity

Part of the popularity of IWNDWYT probably comes from the fact that it takes the “One Day At A Time” mantra and expands upon it. Whereas “One Day At A Time” is a directive to yourself, a way forward — IWNDWYT is a promise to yourself and someone else. It could be someone you’ve never met and never will. That’s part of the beauty of it. 

This simple acronym sends a message to the self: I won’t drink today. But it also broadcasts a message to anyone else out there who happens to read it. Whether they are in recovery yet or not. It’s a reminder that they aren’t alone in their battle with alcohol addiction. It’s also a reminder that if they choose not to have a drink today, they aren’t alone in that either. 

A Simple, But Powerful Tool In Sobriety

It’s a deceptively simple idea perhaps. But it carries a great deal of power when you think about it. The idea that there’s another person out there, stranger or not, who is with you in abstaining from alcohol today has emotional substance and weight. Even if you’re alone, it can feel a bit like a hand on your shoulder. This is particularly important when it comes to recovery because no one really recovers alone.

Another one of those sayings we mentioned earlier is “Recovery is an inside job”. There’s a lot of truth to that. No one else can recover for you. It’s up to you to do the work. You might have the realizations and insights for yourself. The change must begin in your heart and your mind. But, at any given moment, there are millions, perhaps billions of other people doing more or less the same thing. 

Addiction is everywhere. It’s an indelible part of the human condition. You will find it on every continent and in every culture. But you’ll also find people who are rising above their addiction to alcohol and using the tools of recovery to get there. IWNDWYT is a simple way for any of them to remind the others that they aren’t alone in recovery. As simple as it seems, sometimes a notion as basic as that is just enough to get someone through a tough day without picking up a drink and putting one more day of sobriety on the books.  

Leave Alcohol Behind With Innovo Detox 

Finding the courage to admit yourself for alcohol detox and treatment will be one of the wisest decisions you ever make. You already know it. So what’s preventing you from making that call? If you have any questions about alcohol detox in PA or anywhere else in the country, Innovo Detox is here to help. One call to our confidential detox hotline is all it takes to get answers to your questions about alcohol abuse or detox from alcohol or any other substance. 

You can reach Innovo Detox anytime by calling (717) 971-4566 or connect with us through our contact page here.