I had to reach some serious health problems before I was ready to actually stop. Makes me think of a car driving on flat tires. Then the tires shred off and you're driving on the rims with sparks flying. Then the rims fall off and you come to a stop.
Well I guess that was a little dramatic but I passed several very serious warning signs/occasions that should have made me stop, even a diagnosis from a dr. I drank a week later.
I actually stopped and stayed stopped when I simply could not take the daily hangovers anymore. And the diagnosis was always in the back of my mind. My health should return to 100% with complete abstinence.