Re: Once an abuser, always...?

Yes - always an abuser.

The question is only whether s/he will continue in the same way, or change something: maybe the abuse turns inwards, maybe to some other person or persons... or maybe it changes from one type of abuse to another (from physical to verbal or emotional). I know a guy who was horrible to everyone in his family (his daughter and wife mostly), until he stopped... and then commited suicide one day. Abuse turned inward. Never actually stopped, only changed.

Only person who had succesfull therapy may stop being abusive. Chances of that? Very low, I'd say, about 1%. The rest who do go through therapy, just learn how to replace one type of abuse with another, more acceptable or even undetectable.