Here’s the thing, you are not dating his “potential” you are dating him just as he is, alcohol, cheating and all. He’s saying and using all the “correct words” – talked about seeing a therapist, quitting FOREVER to keep you dangling.
Actions are the real thing, words are not.
Betting on and investing yourself in “potential” is never ever a good or sound bet.
How about you step back to protect yourself and allow enough room to see if his actions actually match his words.
I hung around far longer then I should have waiting on that old potential to finally show up and guess what, to this day it hasn’t!!
Empathy is a noun not a verb, you certainly can have empathy for him without actually taking any actions on your part.