To hit the bottle means to go on a drinking binge; to get drunk; to drink a large amount of alcoholic beverage; to drink or start to drink excessive amounts of alcohol habitually or usually
The idiom ‘hit the bottle’ usually implies that someone drinks a great deal habitually and often, the further implication is that they drink to escape their problems.
Variations:
• hit the booze
• be on the bottle
Origin of “Hit the Bottle”
The idiom “hit the bottle” has been in common American and British usage since the late 19th century. In this context, the verb hit does not imply physical impact or striking an object with force.
Instead, in 19th-century American slang, hit evolved to mean to begin using, consuming, engaging with, or setting out upon something with sudden intensity or immediate focus. When applied to alcohol, “hitting” a drink or bottle meant suddenly turning to it for heavy indulgence (a pattern also seen in older slang expressions like hit the pipe or hit the sauce).
This dynamic use of hit appears across many everyday idioms, such as hit the books (to begin studying hard) and hit the hay (to go directly to sleep).
Movie Citations
“That’s what happens when you hit the bottle. You go to sleep in Dukesberry, you wake up in Pukesberry.” — Eight Crazy Nights (2002)
“Did you hurt yourself?” “No, I’m fine. Oh. – I just…You haven’t been hitting the bottle lately, have you?” — The Lady Eve (1941)
“Brian, don’t you think it’s a little too early to be hitting the booze?” “Why wait? You gotta live life while you can and live it hard.”— Family Guy: Brian Sings & Swings (2006)
Sentence Examples
“When the university found out the professor had been hitting the bottle again, they insisted that he go to rehab.”
“I found out recently that my brother, who has been sober for ten years, is hitting the bottle again.”
“He lost his job and began hitting the bottle every evening. Now he’s on the booze all day.”
“He hit the bottle pretty hard after his wife died but that only lasted for a few months before he got his act together.”
“My father only hits the bottle on the weekends but he gets totally plastered sometimes.’