Hard to tell. I know that I went through my own personal hell when I got a DUI and had to deal with the consequences of that, but I still continued to drink. I just didn't drive after drinking anymore. It was almost a year later that I finally decided I didn't like what the alcohol was doing to me, so I got help and quit. Of course, what happened in your story is much more serious than what happened to me, so, who knows? It may be enough to shake some sense into the addict.