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Though the phrase "to fall off the wagon" can allude to any number of vices, it usually refers to a person's failed attempt to give up alcohol. After doing a bit of research, we uncovered the origin of this temperate expression. In the late 1800s, many Americans campaigned for a government ban on liquor (crazy, we know). Those who chose to live the sober life were said to be "on the wagon." Mavens' Word of the Day explains that in this case, the "wagon" was actually a water cart used to hose down dusty roads on hot days. Basically, saying that a person was "on the wagon" was shorthand for "they would sooner climb aboard a water cart to quench their thirst"
than have a drop of liquor. We doubt many demonstrated the vow by actually jumping up on carts, but the phrase makes their commitment clear. The proposed ban on alcohol, known as Prohibition, eventually became law in the United States, but it didn't really work out the way advocates had hoped. After all, you can't force a person onto the wagon -- you gotta let 'em climb aboard themselves.
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