fall off the wagon

She started smoking when she was 13; when I first visited her Jersey City, N.J., studio last April, she was trying not to fall off the wagon.

Reeves: I’ve always imagined Jackson was saying to Catherine quietly, “Are you able to hold on because I want you in this job and you can’t stay if you fall off the wagon again.”

“Make sure you don’t let anything fall off the wagon!” my mother called as we set off down the lane.

In the months after, he saw multiple clients “fall off the wagon” and return to the streets.

I’d have streaks where I took my meds more diligently, days where I’d fall off the wagon, and times where I’d take my meds and forget to log it.