# Simpsons question - When did Barney fall off the wagon? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [October 7, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772 "2008-10-07T00:48:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/1 "2008-10-07T00:48:11Z")
Barney was sober for a number of episodes and then he was drunk again. Wha’happen? ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/2 "2008-10-07T01:06:10Z")
> [@An\_Gadai](#): > > Barney was sober for a number of episodes and then he was drunk again. Wha’happen? He stopped going to meetings and didn’t call his sponsor anymore. It’s the same old story… ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/3 "2008-10-07T01:08:27Z")
Did they deal with it in a specific episode or did he just turn all drunk again one day? ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 1:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/4 "2008-10-07T01:58:09Z")
They never devoted an episode to it. He sobered up in “Days of Wine and D’ohses,” stayed on the wagon for a while, and then Lisa found him lying on the pavement drunk in “I’m Spelling as Fast as I Can” (he sings the line "R-E-L-A-P-S-E! That’s what beer has done to me!). I think that re-established him as a drunk and he’s been there since. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/5 "2008-10-07T02:21:57Z")
He originally started drinking in school when Homer convinced him beer was more important than studying. There was an episode that showed him falling off the wagon after drinking non-alcoholic champagne (astronaut training). ---
**Author:** ![Marley23](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/45deac/32.png) [@Marley23](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Marley23)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/6 "2008-10-07T12:02:28Z")
Just to give a timeline, Barney got sober in season 11 and lost his grip the next season. Wikipedia says the show hasn’t been consistent with his sobriety/alcoholism, which I think is intentional. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [October 7, 2008, 12:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/simpsons-question-when-did-barney-fall-off-the-wagon/466772/7 "2008-10-07T12:37:16Z")
Magiver, Barney and Homer were shown to have partaken of beer even as young children. There was a flashback scene where Homer crashed his little red wagon into a tree and he and Barney made a pact (with the usual level of Homer sincerity, obviously) to never drink beer again.