Treating alcohol use disorder as a medical condition - with FDA-approved medication, recovery coaching and a breathalyzer that fits in your pocket, delivered entirely through telehealth.
Ria Health, San Francisco. The company built a fully virtual front door for a condition most people never seek treatment for. Photo: company logo.
Most people who struggle with alcohol will never set foot in a rehab facility. Cost, stigma, and time away from work keep the door shut. Ria Health was built on the idea that the door itself was the problem.
Founded in 2015 by addiction physician Dr. John Mendelson - originally under the name DxRx - Ria Health delivers evidence-based treatment for alcohol use disorder (AUD) entirely online. There is no inpatient stay, no group circle, no 30 days away from your life. A member books a visit, meets a doctor by video, and begins a physician-managed program that combines FDA-approved anti-craving medication, weekly recovery coaching, and a connected smartphone breathalyzer that tracks progress over time.
The premise is quietly radical for a field long organized around abstinence and moral framing: drinking is treated as a medical condition, and the patient - not the program - sets the goal. Some members want to quit. Many simply want to drink less. Ria builds the plan around whichever they choose. Members in active treatment see an average 50% decrease in their drinking within the first month.
Alcohol use disorder is one of the most common - and most undertreated - medical conditions in the United States. Effective medications like naltrexone have existed for years, but getting them into the hands of the people who need them has been the persistent gap. Ria Health closes that gap by treating logistics, not chemistry, as the problem to solve.
Ria serves adults who want to change their relationship with alcohol, from people looking to moderate their drinking to those aiming for full abstinence. Care is delivered by telehealth across all 50 states. The company reports having helped more than 4,000 members, with an estimated 50 million people able to reach the program in-network through major insurers.
Stigma, access and rigidity. Traditional treatment often requires people to publicly identify as alcoholics, take time away from work, and commit to total sobriety before they have even started. Ria removes the waiting room, keeps care private, and accepts moderation as a legitimate clinical goal - lowering the barrier to that hardest first step of simply beginning.
"For patients, Ria Health makes treatment accessible, affordable and, most importantly, successful." - Bill Stapleton, Chief Executive Officer
A physician-managed telehealth plan pairing medication, coaching and tracking into one nationwide membership.
Prescriptions for naltrexone, acamprosate, gabapentin, topiramate, disulfiram and baclofen to reduce cravings.
A naltrexone-based approach that blocks alcohol's reward response, with a reported ~78% success rate when followed correctly.
Weekly one-on-one sessions with certified coaches and clinicians using CBT and motivational interviewing.
A Bluetooth breathalyzer that logs blood alcohol readings so members and their care team can watch progress.
Programs that bring family members and peers into a member's recovery for added accountability.
Company-reported figures; individual results vary. TSM = The Sinclair Method.
Ria operates in a growing field of digital alcohol startups - Monument, Oar Health, Sunnyside and Lionrock among them - plus traditional in-person outpatient and rehab providers. What sets Ria apart is the combination it insists on carrying at once.
Ria runs on a subscription membership - reported at roughly $175 to $449 per month depending on the plan - layered with insurance reimbursement. The company is in-network with major national health plans and contracts with multiple payors, which is the difference between a wellness app and reimbursable healthcare. That payor work is arguably the quiet engine of its reach.
The expertise starts at the top of the clinical org. Founder and Chief Medical Officer Dr. John Mendelson is a board-certified internist with more than 30 years in addiction treatment. On the business side, CEO Bill Stapleton - who took the role in 2023 - previously founded HealthPlanOne, a Deloitte Fast 500 company, and held executive posts at Oxford Health Plans and Health Net, bringing deep managed-care and payor experience to a company whose growth depends on it.
Ria's estimated annual revenue is around $9.5M. It has raised roughly $30.5M in total, including an $18M Series A and a ~$12.5M Series B in early 2025 led by Peloton Equity, with participation from SV Health Investors, BPEA Private Equity and SOSV.
Dr. John Mendelson launches the company (originally DxRx) on the conviction that AUD treatment should be accessible and affordable.
Ria begins delivering physician-managed, medication-assisted alcohol care with coaching and app-based tracking.
Funding arrives to scale nationwide access to online AUD treatment.
The managed-care veteran takes the helm; co-founder Tom Nix moves to Chief Strategy Officer.
Peloton Equity leads a growth round to expand patient-driven treatment, bringing total funding to roughly $30.5M.
"As the prevalence of alcohol-related disease and death continues to increase since the pandemic, I consider it an honor to join a team with such an important mission." - Bill Stapleton, CEO
A firsthand account of using Ria's naltrexone-based program.
Program explainers, member stories and how-it-works videos.
The founder on technology, strategy and treating addiction.
Alcohol use disorder (AUD) - helping people either reduce their drinking or quit - delivered entirely through telehealth.
No. Ria lets patients choose their own goal, whether moderation or full abstinence, and builds the treatment plan around it.
FDA-approved medications including naltrexone, acamprosate, gabapentin, topiramate, disulfiram and baclofen - often via The Sinclair Method for craving reduction.
Yes. Ria is in-network with major national health plans. Out of pocket, plans have been reported at roughly $175-$449 per month, though insurance can lower that substantially.
The program is delivered by telehealth and is available in all 50 US states.