Sometimes you need a wake up call to be able to see an issue. He probably did not face any trouble while he was partying and "having fun", and because nothing went wrong, he didn't felt the need to stop, which take him further and further. That horrible incident made him realize that he wasn't doing that great, and because of that he realized there is a sudden need to stop.

It's great to see him recover, and doing better, and getting his peace. He could have been richer too, if it wasn't for that previous part of his life, but at least he is back now and doing great. Many players like that who go see the bottom first. Famously Allen Iverson was even one of them, saw the bottom too, but then he recovered, got smart about it, and recovered, now he is doing better.