Hold back Jack's vessel, circling area (7)
I believe the answer is:
abstain
'hold back' is the definition.
'jack's vessel circling area' is the wordplay.
'jack's' becomes 'abs'.
'vessel' becomes 'tin' (I've seen this in other clues**).
'circling' means one lot of letters goes inside another (circling can mean going around or containing).
'area' becomes 'a' (maths abbreviation).
'tin' going around 'a' is 'tain'.
'abs'+'tain'='ABSTAIN'
(Other definitions for abstain that I've seen before include "Refrain from doing something" , "Desist" , "Cut it out!" , "Refrain, forbear" , "Resist" .)