drive (one) to drink
To be so unpleasant as to impel one to drink alcohol to forget about it. The stress of this job will drive me to drink.
drive someone to drink
Fig. [for someone or something] to cause someone to turn to alcohol as an escape from frustration. Being a Cubs fan is enough to drive you to drink. She was driven to drink by the problems she had with her teenage son.
drive to drink
see under drive crazy.
drive somebody to ˈdrink
(often humorous) make somebody so annoyed, worried, etc. that they begin to drink too much alcohol: A week with those noisy kids is enough to drive anyone to drink!