What motivated me was the inevitable onset of all the problems that excessive drinking brings. There are "healthy" limits to drinking and these are set at a level where most people will avoid the negative consequences of drinking. Unfortunately, when you are young, your body can absorb A LOT of abuse without you noticing the impacts. However, these impacts are accumulating and eventually they will become apparent. It may be this year, a few years or decades down the line, but the negative impacts will show themselves. I would read the stories here of people and see how their drinking lives went, look for the similarities. Also, read the stories of friends and family of alcoholics to see how the drinking impacts the people you love. What you may notice is that the drinking patterns were apparent long before the rapid downfall. When I was young, I always believed I had time to escape. I believed it all the way into my 40s. The negative impacts did eventually happen and that includes loss of jobs (ability to work) and loss of health.