Roofer Kieran Matthews should have been on his best behaviour on a suspended jail term.
Police who spotted him driving the wrong way into a one-way street found he was driving almost twice over the alcohol limit.
Matthews, 25, of Bellevue Road, St George, pleaded guilty to driving with excess alcohol in the early hours of December 21 last year.
It put him in breach of a nine months prison sentence, suspended for 18 months in December 2018.
He appeared at Bristol Crown Court, unrepresented, and carrying a large bag.
Judge Mark Horton fined him £375, disqualified him from driving for a year and handed him £340 costs.
He told Matthews he had read his letter showing genuine remorse and references saying Matthews had exhibited a pro-social attitude and was a valued employee.
The judge said: "I have come to the conclusion I don't have to activate your suspended sentence."
Naomi Aylwin, prosecuting, said police spotted Matthews driving a van which entered a one-way street in Old Market around 1.20am.
They stopped him, they could smell alcohol on his breath and he was unsteady.
Having failed a roadside breath test Matthews was tested at the police station and was found to have 59 microgrammes of alcohol in 100 millilitres of breath. The limit is 35.
The court heard Matthews had done so well on community work at a charity shop it was hoped he might do voluntary work in future.
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