Mishap

[lekal]

Dear teachers:
People would be surprised to know that I have mostly been sober since 2001. Save for about sixty or seventy little mishaps over the years. When these mishaps occur, if you want to be sober, which I always did, you’d be given drugs to help you along.(From he book Friends, lovers and the big terrible thing, author Matthew Perry)
What does mishap here refer to?
Thank you very much.

 

[pops91710]

It means an unfortunate accident, bad luck, or misfortune. In his case perhaps a time of weakness where he slipped up and got back into drugs and drinking if only once or for a short time.

 

[Chasint]

Yes, occasionally the writer made mistakes by giving in to temptation. They would be given drugs to help. The author says "mishap" because, by attributing the cause to luck, it absolves them from blame. However it really means "mistake" because ultimately they were responsible.

Note the pronunciation of mishap ---> miss-hap (the "s" and "h" are not sounded together, they are two separate letters.)

mishap (n.)
mid-13c., "bad luck, misfortune, unlucky accident," from mis- (1) "bad" + hap (n.) "luck."
mishap | Search Online Etymology Dictionary

 

[ain'ttranslationfun?]

"relapse"