On an article on Arutz Sheva called "The Internet Inclination", about the problems of internet pornography, someone posted in the "Talk-Back" his doubts that pornography could be classified as an addiction. In reply, "Velvel from Silver Spring" posted:
Just like with any pleasure, the pleasure sensory is stimulated in the brain. Simple neuroscience. Whether its cocaine, a tasty sandwich, or pleasure one might get from bad things during movie, the serotonin levels spike & the dopaminergic pleasure pathway is activated, in the standard "addiction" pattern. Little do people know, we are actually "addicted" to food, but that's a healthy addiction, and most people are able to moderate their food intake. The same CANNOT be said for mind altering drugs & the porno.
Porn was shown to be MORE powerfully addictive than most drugs, in one study. It's not a big surprise or a big wonder why that would be. It's an intense pleasure stimulation, even more direct than a hard drug. I have also read that upon repeated exposure to certain types of images, one will seek out more and more perverse types of images...
It is important to understand that pornography and sex addictions are generated simply by a repetition of pleasure stimulation in the brain. Usually, this is a result of a deeper problem, such as a difficult childhood, a low self esteem or an inner depression. In such cases, the subconscious mind often looks for ways to sooth itself. Since masturbation (and often pornography) are readily available to a person from his youth, these pleasure simulations are often used already at an early age to "medicate" the feelings of an inner void, and the repetition of the pleasure stimulus quickly turns into an addiction. After a while, the sexual urge becomes so powerful through feeding the addiction, that one begins to think of his "needs" as an unconquerable force that they cannot reckon with.
However, once we know this truth, that our subconscious mind has been using this method simply to sooth the various deep psychological issues that we might not have even been aware of, we can seek help for the issues that caused the addictive behavior in the first place. This can be done through therapy, preferably with someone trained in childhood trauma, low self-esteem, depression, or whatever the issues might be. Also, it is vital that the therapist be trained in sexual addiction. A list of competent therapists in your areas can be found at www.sash.net. See also this page.
Also, once we realize the way it works, it is much easier to break free. You see, masturbation and porn are simply "physical pleasure stimuli" like all other physical pleasures. It only SEEMS to us to be so powerful because we have fed the addiction for so long and used this method to "medicate" the inner darkness we felt. The same addictive pattern often occurs with food, which is also readily available to a person from his youth. Ask the millions of people in OEA ("Over-Eaters Anonymous") all over the world.
So, with this simple realization, the addiction to porn and masturbation is no longer this "huge unbeatable monster", but simply a physical pleasure, just like food, alcohol or gambling. All of these behaviors cause a "high" in the brain, and when used to medicate feelings of inadequacy or inner-darkness - over prolonged periods of time - turn into addictions that seem to be unconquerable.
So blow the illusion away today. This monster is just one big balloon filled with hot-air!