My abusive behavior started because substances are addictive. Alcohol and pills are addictive-anyone can potentially become dependent if they drink hard and long enough. Long term alcohol consumption causes changes in the brain which make it harder to quit. Also, because I would continue to associate drinking and using with positive memories, I continued to drink.
The power to stop using in my case comes from keeping in mind the positives of sobriety-health, sanity, relationships, jobs, yada yada . LOL
Thanks for letting me share!