Addiction is a serious topic, but language often uses idioms to talk about it in a more expressive, relatable way. Idioms about addiction aren’t just about substances—they can also describe habits, obsessions, or behaviors that are hard to break. These expressions show how deeply certain habits can take root in our lives.
Whether it’s being “hooked” on a TV show or “going cold turkey” on sugar, idioms help us communicate complex feelings in simple, vivid ways. They make conversations more engaging and can help people understand and talk about addiction with clarity and emotion.
In this post, you’ll explore 48 idioms that relate to addiction, habit-forming behavior, and the struggles (or humor) that come with breaking free. These phrases can be powerful tools for conversation, storytelling, or just understanding yourself and others a little better.
Let’s dig into the first set of idioms and uncover what they really mean.
Idioms for Addiction
1. Hooked on
Meaning: Addicted or very obsessed with something.
In a Sentence: I got hooked on that new crime series after just one episode.
Other Ways to Say: Addicted to, Obsessed with
2. Can’t get enough of
Meaning: To really love or crave something a lot.
In a Sentence: I can’t get enough of these spicy snacks!
Other Ways to Say: Totally into, Craving all the time
3. Monkey on one’s back
Meaning: A serious addiction or burden that’s hard to shake.
In a Sentence: He’s been trying to get that monkey off his back for years.
Other Ways to Say: Struggling with addiction, Heavy burden
4. Slave to (something)
Meaning: Controlled by a habit or craving.
In a Sentence: She’s a slave to her phone—she can’t go five minutes without checking it.
Other Ways to Say: Dependent on, Controlled by
5. Cold turkey
Meaning: To quit something suddenly and completely.
In a Sentence: He gave up smoking cold turkey last month.
Other Ways to Say: Quit abruptly, Stop all at once
6. Jonesing for
Meaning: Strongly craving something, especially a substance.
In a Sentence: I’m jonesing for a coffee right now.
Other Ways to Say: Craving badly, Dying for
7. Get a fix
Meaning: To satisfy an addiction or craving.
In a Sentence: He needs his daily chocolate fix to survive the afternoon slump.
Other Ways to Say: Satisfy a craving, Get what you’re addicted to
8. Fall off the wagon
Meaning: To relapse after a period of self-control.
In a Sentence: After a month of clean eating, I fell off the wagon with a big pizza.
Other Ways to Say: Relapse, Break a streak
9. Back on the wagon
Meaning: To return to a period of control after a relapse.
In a Sentence: Don’t worry—I’m back on the wagon starting tomorrow.
Other Ways to Say: Restart healthy habits, Regain control
10. Habit-forming
Meaning: Something that can easily become an addiction.
In a Sentence: Energy drinks are definitely habit-forming.
Other Ways to Say: Addictive, Easy to get hooked on
11. Feed the habit
Meaning: To continue satisfying an addiction or craving.
In a Sentence: She works overtime just to feed her shopping habit.
Other Ways to Say: Keep up the addiction, Support the craving
12. Addicted to
Meaning: Having a strong, uncontrollable habit or need.
In a Sentence: He’s addicted to video games and plays all night.
Other Ways to Say: Can’t stop, Obsessed with
13. Habit like clockwork
Meaning: A routine that happens without fail, like an addiction.
In a Sentence: His morning coffee is a habit like clockwork.
Other Ways to Say: Predictable habit, Always happens
14. Crave like crazy
Meaning: To desperately want something.
In a Sentence: I crave chocolate like crazy during exams.
Other Ways to Say: Deep craving, Need it badly
15. Tied to the bottle
Meaning: Struggling with alcohol addiction.
In a Sentence: He’s been tied to the bottle for years, but now he’s trying to recover.
Other Ways to Say: Alcoholic, Dependent on drinking
16. Ride the high
Meaning: To chase or enjoy the excitement of an addictive feeling.
In a Sentence: She kept spending to ride the high of retail therapy.
Other Ways to Say: Chase the thrill, Stay on the buzz
17. Drown your sorrows
Meaning: To use alcohol or other substances to deal with sadness.
In a Sentence: He went out to drown his sorrows after the breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Drink to forget, Numb the pain
18. One’s drug of choice
Meaning: The specific thing someone is addicted to or obsessed with.
In a Sentence: Social media is her drug of choice.
Other Ways to Say: Preferred addiction, Top obsession
19. Binge on
Meaning: To overindulge in something all at once.
In a Sentence: I binged on an entire season in one night.
Other Ways to Say: Overdo it, Go all in
20. Can’t live without
Meaning: To feel like something is absolutely necessary.
In a Sentence: She says she can’t live without her daily latte.
Other Ways to Say: Totally dependent, Must have it
21. Chain-smoke
Meaning: To smoke one cigarette after another, often from addiction.
In a Sentence: He started chain-smoking during finals week.
Other Ways to Say: Smoke nonstop, Heavy smoking
22. On a binge
Meaning: Engaged in an excessive or uncontrollable spree.
In a Sentence: She’s on a binge with those late-night snacks.
Other Ways to Say: Going overboard, Overdoing it
23. Slave to the grind
Meaning: Addicted to work or constantly pushing oneself.
In a Sentence: He’s a slave to the grind and never takes a break.
Other Ways to Say: Workaholic, Constantly working
24. Get one’s fix
Meaning: To satisfy an addiction temporarily.
In a Sentence: She stops at the café every morning to get her caffeine fix.
Other Ways to Say: Fulfill a craving, Temporary relief
25. Over the edge
Meaning: Pushed into an unstable or addictive state.
In a Sentence: Losing his job sent him over the edge.
Other Ways to Say: Break down, Go too far
26. Cross the line
Meaning: To go beyond what’s acceptable, often into addiction.
In a Sentence: He crossed the line when he started lying about his habit.
Other Ways to Say: Go too far, Lose control
27. Down the rabbit hole
Meaning: Falling deeply into a habit or obsession.
In a Sentence: I went down the rabbit hole of online shopping.
Other Ways to Say: Get lost in it, Deep dive into habit
28. Taste for it
Meaning: An appetite or growing desire for something.
In a Sentence: After one energy drink, I developed a taste for it.
Other Ways to Say: Acquired craving, Starting to want more
29. Wired on
Meaning: Full of energy or jittery because of something addictive.
In a Sentence: He’s always wired on energy drinks during exams.
Other Ways to Say: Buzzed, Overstimulated
30. High as a kite
Meaning: Extremely intoxicated or excited from a substance.
In a Sentence: He was high as a kite after that party.
Other Ways to Say: Intoxicated, Not sober
31. Get the shakes
Meaning: Experience physical withdrawal symptoms.
In a Sentence: He started to get the shakes after skipping his usual dose of caffeine.
Other Ways to Say: Withdrawal symptoms, Body reacting
32. It’s like a drug
Meaning: Describes something extremely addicting.
In a Sentence: Attention on social media is like a drug for her.
Other Ways to Say: Super addicting, Feels necessary
33. Crash hard
Meaning: A sudden drop in energy after a high.
In a Sentence: After the sugar rush, I crashed hard and had to nap.
Other Ways to Say: Energy drop, Sudden fatigue
34. Craving hits
Meaning: When the desire for something suddenly becomes strong.
In a Sentence: The craving hit me hard at midnight—I had to get cookies.
Other Ways to Say: Sudden urge, Intense desire
35. Numb the pain
Meaning: To use substances or distractions to avoid emotional pain.
In a Sentence: He used video games to numb the pain of his breakup.
Other Ways to Say: Escape emotions, Block the hurt
36. Chasing the dragon
Meaning: Seeking a high that’s never quite as strong as the first.
In a Sentence: He kept using, always chasing the dragon.
Other Ways to Say: Trying to relive the high, Endless pursuit
37. In too deep
Meaning: So far into an addiction or behavior that it’s hard to stop.
In a Sentence: She realized she was in too deep when she canceled plans just to binge-watch.
Other Ways to Say: Trapped, Hard to escape
38. Hit rock bottom
Meaning: Reach the lowest point, often due to addiction or bad habits.
In a Sentence: Losing his job and apartment was hitting rock bottom.
Other Ways to Say: Lowest point, Wake-up call
39. On the edge
Meaning: Close to breaking down or giving in to an addiction.
In a Sentence: He’s been on the edge ever since he quit.
Other Ways to Say: About to relapse, Feeling unstable
40. Habit spiral
Meaning: A series of actions that deepen a habit or addiction.
In a Sentence: One missed workout led to a whole habit spiral.
Other Ways to Say: Downward cycle, Slip into bad routine
41. Sucked in
Meaning: Drawn into something addictive or hard to escape.
In a Sentence: I got sucked in by that mobile game and couldn’t stop playing.
Other Ways to Say: Pulled in, Trapped
42. Built into your system
Meaning: A habit that feels like a natural part of life.
In a Sentence: That morning soda is built into his system now.
Other Ways to Say: Daily routine, Hard to break
43. Pavlovian response
Meaning: An automatic reaction to a trigger, like an addiction.
In a Sentence: I hear a notification and check my phone without thinking—it’s a Pavlovian response.
Other Ways to Say: Automatic habit, Conditioned response
44. Bad habit
Meaning: A negative routine that’s hard to stop.
In a Sentence: Nail-biting is one of my worst bad habits.
Other Ways to Say: Unhealthy habit, Negative behavior
45. One more won’t hurt
Meaning: A phrase used to justify continuing a habit.
In a Sentence: He kept saying “one more won’t hurt” until the whole pack was gone.
Other Ways to Say: Justification, Excuse to continue
46. Over the limit
Meaning: Going beyond what’s safe or reasonable.
In a Sentence: She’s been drinking way over the limit lately.
Other Ways to Say: Too much, Excessive
47. Can’t help myself
Meaning: Unable to resist a strong urge.
In a Sentence: I see cookies and I just can’t help myself.
Other Ways to Say: No self-control, Give in
48. Slippery slope
Meaning: A small habit that leads to bigger issues.
In a Sentence: Skipping one workout turned into a slippery slope.
Other Ways to Say: Dangerous path, Quick decline
Exercise to Practice
Fill in the blanks:
- After cutting coffee for a week, I started to _______ for it every morning.
- She tried to _______ her sorrows with tubs of ice cream.
- He’s so used to scrolling TikTok that it’s basically _______ into his system.
- Skipping one meeting turned into a _______ slope of missing deadlines.
- Once she opened the app, she got completely _______ in and lost track of time.
- He said “_______ more won’t hurt,” but it always turned into ten.
- I knew I was _______ too deep when I chose gaming over sleep.
- Her phone buzzed and she checked it instantly—such a _______ response.
- I was _______ for sugar and grabbed a whole bag of candy.
- I tried quitting junk food _______ turkey, but it didn’t last long.
Answers:
jonesing, drown, built, slippery, sucked, one, in, Pavlovian, craving, cold
Conclusion
Addiction-related idioms give us powerful ways to talk about habits, cravings, and the struggles that come with them. Whether you’re talking about serious issues or just joking about your caffeine need, these idioms help express what words alone sometimes can’t.
Using these phrases can make conversations more relatable and real. They help us understand one another and ourselves a little better, especially when dealing with challenges. So whether you’re trying to break a habit or just want to talk about it with a little flair—these idioms are here for you.
Keep an ear out, and you’ll start to notice these expressions everywhere. Language is powerful, and idioms make it even more vivid, emotional, and human.
