According to Dr. Elizabeth Hartney, "Sooner or later, most people who have an addiction decide a change needs to happen. Once the decision is made, most people have a specific goal in mind. It might be to quit entirely, to quit some addictive behaviors or substances, but not all, reduce the amount of time or money spent on addictive behaviors, or to reduce the harm of an addictive behavior.

In her article, Dr. Hartney explains how making the decision to change may not be an easy process, or a quick one, but is essential to overcoming addiction.