I don't believe this is true as it relates to my sobriety.
The one thing above all else that kept me drinking for so many years was fear. I didn't love myself. I thought the people who had hurt me were right and that I didn't deserve love or happiness or to be treated with a modicum of decency and respect. The idea of navigating through life without my crutch was terrifying to me.
Then when I hit late stage alcoholism the fear of withdrawal exceeded my fear of living life unmedicated. It wasn't until my fear of dying a horrible death exceeded my other fears that I made the commitment to stop.
Embracing your values and becoming a good steward of the community and all that jazz are great. I was a scared boy trapped in a man's body. When I learned to love myself is when my addiction went away.