fell off the wagon
Broke one's sobriety
Fell off the wagon means to resume drinking alcohol after a period of abstinence, or more broadly, to relapse into any habit one had been trying to quit: He was sober for three years before he fell off the wagon.
The opposite is to be on the wagon—abstaining.
The phrase likely comes from water wagons that sprayed down dusty roads; someone "on the wagon" would drink only water.
Revert to bad habits
- slipMinor error or misstep
- lapseBrief failure or expiration
- relapseReturn to former illness
- regressionReturn to former state
revert · succumb · yielding · breakdown · collapse · falling · return · reversion
Unimpaired mental state
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- therapyCurative mental treatment
- supportTo uphold or sustain
counseling · sponsor · willpower · resilience · commitment · healing · detox · AA
Powerful urge to have
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
- dependencyState of needing support
- substancePhysical material with mass
- habitSettled regular tendency
binge · intoxication · compulsion · vice · indulgence · fixation · enabler · tolerance
backslide
Revert to bad habits
regression · revert · succumb · yielding · breakdown · collapse · falling · return · reversion · stumble
sobriety
Unimpaired mental state
- abstinenceVoluntary forgoing of indulgences
- rehabilitationRecovery from injury/addiction
- therapyCurative mental treatment
support · counseling · sponsor · willpower · resilience · commitment · healing · detox · AA · meetings
craving
Powerful urge to have
- temptationUrge toward the unwise
- dependencyState of needing support
- substancePhysical material with mass
habit · binge · intoxication · compulsion · vice · indulgence · fixation · enabler · tolerance · withdrawal
disappointment
Sadness from unmet expectations
stumble · misstep · hiccup · blow · difficulty · trouble · adversity · discouragement · shame · guilt
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