Once they are sober, they start to realize all the pain they have caused loved ones. It must be tough to deal with knowing you hurt people yet they still love you anyway. They may feel like they don't deserve the love and mercy. Mine said something similar when he went into recovery for the 3rd time. He said he had hurt a lot of people... a lot of people. I could tell he wasn't ready to deal with it. (Then he started drinking again so that was the end of recovery.)