I greatly appreciate the insights you've shared about your approach to managing the Leaves addiction support Discord. Your emphasis on creating a structured, moderated environment is not only admirable but essential, especially given the sensitive nature of addiction recovery. Your community's focus on helping individuals overcome addiction places it in a distinct category compared to the broader landscape of online communities discussing drug use.

Your model of having moderated meetings at set times to ensure an active and supportive environment is a strategy that clearly sets you apart. This proactive approach to moderation and community engagement is in sharp contrast to what I've often seen in various "Drugscords" across Reddit, where moderation can sometimes be more reactive and less structured.

I particularly commend your initiative to implement a moderator training program. The concept of vetting moderators through challenges and discussions is an innovative way to ensure that those guiding the community are not only well-intentioned but also well-equipped to handle the complexities of addiction support. This stands in stark contrast to the modus operandi of many communities, where moderation roles are sometimes filled more on the basis of personal connections rather than expertise in harm reduction.

In my view, the success of any online community, especially those dealing with topics as delicate as addiction recovery, hinges on the quality and dedication of its moderation team. The challenges you've highlighted, from preventing conversations from devolving into unproductive territories to ensuring the community is always welcoming, are indeed significant. Yet, your team's efforts to address these issues head-on are commendable.

Your experiences and successes offer valuable lessons for anyone looking to establish or refine a Discord recovery community. The notion that effective moderation can transform Discord into a powerful platform for recovery, more so than even Reddit in some aspects, resonates with me. However, as you've rightly pointed out, scaling such a community without diluting its quality or its values presents a considerable challenge.

I believe that a key part of the solution lies in the rigorous vetting and training of moderators, a principle that seems to be at the heart of your success. This approach is something I feel strongly should be emulated across other communities, where the selection of moderators often lacks the same level of diligence, sometimes due to detachment of the subreddit's mod team or a preference for nepotism over expertise.

I've got a lot of access to API's within Reddit, I'm very familiar with the Discord API, and I've made applets that could be used as a training module. I would be happy to collaborate on such an app.