diff --git a/lib/circuit-helpers.js b/lib/circuit-helpers.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..c8a653a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/circuit-helpers.js
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const { FALLBACK_FUNCTION } = require('./symbols');
+
+function handleError (error, circuit, timeout, args, latency, resolve, reject) {
+  clearTimeout(timeout);
+  fail(circuit, error, args, latency);
+  const fb = fallback(circuit, error, args, latency);
+  if (fb) resolve(fb);
+  else reject(error);
+}
+
+function fallback (circuit, err, args) {
+  if (circuit[FALLBACK_FUNCTION]) {
+    const result =
+      circuit[FALLBACK_FUNCTION].apply(circuit[FALLBACK_FUNCTION], args);
+    /**
+     * Emitted when the circuit breaker executes a fallback function
+     * @event CircuitBreaker#fallback
+     */
+    circuit.emit('fallback', result, err);
+    if (result instanceof Promise) return result;
+    return Promise.resolve(result);
+  }
+}
+
+function fail (circuit, err, args, latency) {
+  /**
+   * Emitted when the circuit breaker action fails
+   * @event CircuitBreaker#failure
+   */
+  circuit.emit('failure', err, latency);
+
+  // check stats to see if the circuit should be opened
+  const stats = circuit.stats;
+  const errorRate = stats.failures / stats.fires * 100;
+  if (errorRate > circuit.options.errorThresholdPercentage ||
+    circuit.options.maxFailures >= stats.failures ||
+    circuit.halfOpen) {
+    circuit.open();
+  }
+}
+
+// http://stackoverflow.com/a/2117523
+const nextName = () =>
+  'xxxxxxxx-xxxx-4xxx-yxxx-xxxxxxxxxxxx'.replace(/[xy]/g, c => {
+    const r = Math.random() * 16 | 0;
+    const v = c === 'x' ? r : (r & 0x3 | 0x8);
+    return v.toString(16);
+  });
+
+module.exports = exports = {
+  handleError,
+  fallback,
+  fail,
+  nextName
+};
diff --git a/lib/circuit.js b/lib/circuit.js
index 259cf33e..eb7ab817 100644
--- a/lib/circuit.js
+++ b/lib/circuit.js
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@ const NAME = Symbol('name');
 const GROUP = Symbol('group');
 const HYSTRIX_STATS = Symbol('hystrix-stats');
 const CACHE = new WeakMap();
+const ENABLED = Symbol('Enabled');
 const deprecation = `options.maxFailures is deprecated. \
 Please use options.errorThresholdPercentage`;
 
@@ -54,6 +55,8 @@ Please use options.errorThresholdPercentage`;
  * of the current requests completes.
  * @param options.errorThresholdPercentage {Number} the error percentage at
  * which to open the circuit and start short-circuiting requests to fallback.
+ * @param options.enabled {boolean} whether this circuit is enabled upon
+ * construction. Default: true
  */
 class CircuitBreaker extends EventEmitter {
   constructor (action, options) {
@@ -73,6 +76,7 @@ class CircuitBreaker extends EventEmitter {
     this[PENDING_CLOSE] = false;
     this[NAME] = options.name || action.name || nextName();
     this[GROUP] = options.group || this[NAME];
+    this[ENABLED] = options.enabled !== false;
 
     if (typeof action !== 'function') {
       this.action = _ => Promise.resolve(action);
@@ -216,6 +220,11 @@ class CircuitBreaker extends EventEmitter {
   get hystrixStats () {
     return this[HYSTRIX_STATS];
   }
+
+  get enabled () {
+    return this[ENABLED];
+  }
+
   /**
    * Provide a fallback function for this {@link CircuitBreaker}. This
    * function will be executed when the circuit is `fire`d and fails.
@@ -279,6 +288,16 @@ class CircuitBreaker extends EventEmitter {
       this.emit('cacheMiss');
     }
 
+    /**
+     * https://github.com/bucharest-gold/opossum/issues/136
+     */
+    if (!this[ENABLED]) {
+      const result = this.action.apply(this.action, args);
+      return (typeof result.then === 'function')
+        ? result
+        : Promise.resolve(result);
+    }
+
     if (!this.closed && !this.pendingClose) {
       /**
        * Emitted when the circuit breaker is open and failing fast
@@ -416,6 +435,23 @@ class CircuitBreaker extends EventEmitter {
 
     check();
   }
+
+  /**
+   * Enables this circuit. If the circuit is the  disabled
+   * state, it will be reenabled. If not, this is essentially
+   * a noop.
+   */
+  enable () {
+    this[ENABLED] = true;
+  }
+
+  /**
+   * Disables this circuit, causing all calls to the circuit's function
+   * to be executed without circuit or fallback protection.
+   */
+  disable () {
+    this[ENABLED] = false;
+  }
 }
 
 function handleError (error, circuit, timeout, args, latency, resolve, reject) {
diff --git a/lib/symbols.js b/lib/symbols.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..85ca2ea0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/lib/symbols.js
@@ -0,0 +1,27 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const STATE = Symbol('state');
+const OPEN = Symbol('open');
+const CLOSED = Symbol('closed');
+const HALF_OPEN = Symbol('half-open');
+const PENDING_CLOSE = Symbol('pending-close');
+const FALLBACK_FUNCTION = Symbol('fallback');
+const STATUS = Symbol('status');
+const NAME = Symbol('name');
+const GROUP = Symbol('group');
+const HYSTRIX_STATS = Symbol('hystrix-stats');
+const ENABLED = Symbol('Enabled');
+
+module.exports = exports = {
+  STATE,
+  OPEN,
+  CLOSED,
+  HALF_OPEN,
+  PENDING_CLOSE,
+  FALLBACK_FUNCTION,
+  STATUS,
+  NAME,
+  GROUP,
+  HYSTRIX_STATS,
+  ENABLED
+};
diff --git a/test/enable-disable-test.js b/test/enable-disable-test.js
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..780a15e3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/enable-disable-test.js
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+'use strict';
+
+const test = require('tape');
+const opossum = require('../');
+const { passFail } = require('./common');
+
+test('Defaults to enabled', t => {
+  t.plan(1);
+  const breaker = opossum(passFail);
+  t.equals(breaker.enabled, true);
+  t.end();
+});
+
+test('Accepts options.enabled', t => {
+  t.plan(1);
+  const breaker = opossum(passFail, { enabled: false });
+  t.equals(breaker.enabled, false);
+  t.end();
+});
+
+test('When disabled the circuit should always be closed', t => {
+  t.plan(8);
+  const options = {
+    errorThresholdPercentage: 1,
+    resetTimeout: 1000
+  };
+
+  const breaker = opossum(passFail, options);
+  breaker.disable();
+  breaker.fire(-1)
+    .catch(e => t.equals(e, 'Error: -1 is < 0'))
+    .then(() => {
+      t.ok(breaker.closed, 'should be closed');
+      t.notOk(breaker.pendingClose,
+        'should not be pending close');
+    })
+    .then(() => {
+      breaker // fire and fail again
+        .fire(-1)
+        .catch(e => t.equals(e, 'Error: -1 is < 0'))
+        .then(() => {
+          t.ok(breaker.closed, 'should be closed');
+          t.notOk(breaker.pendingClose,
+            'should not be pending close');
+        });
+    })
+    .then(() => { // reenable the circuit
+      breaker.enable();
+      breaker.fire(-1)
+        .catch(e => t.equals(e, 'Error: -1 is < 0'))
+        .then(() => {
+          t.ok(breaker.opened, 'should be closed');
+        });
+    });
+});