monkey on one's back

1. Drug addiction, as in He'd had a monkey on his back for at least two years . [ Slang ; first half of 1900s]

2. A vexing problem or burden, as in This project has proved to be a monkey on my back—there seems to be no end to it . Both usages allude to being unable to shake off the animal from one's back.

Example Sentences

For Nowitzki especially, that series has become an albatross wrapped in a millstone inside a monkey on one's back.

From Newsweek

Related Words

• compulsion 
• delusion 
• enthusiasm 
• fascination 
• infatuation 
• mania 
• passion 
• phobia 
• preoccupation