[Yossarian]

Smoking and alcoholism have a component of chemical dependency that pornography doesn't have. They're using chemicals to help induce that "reward" mechanism we get from endorphines. People with psycological addictions are after the same thing, they just use some kind of non-chemical stimulus to get it. Porn/sex and gambling are easy ways to get that.

I think you almost have it right - the endorphine release becomes addictive in and of itself. I'm not saying that you'll get the DT shakes if you go off porn, but repeated use does (by my understanding from reading journals) rewire the brain, and it is WAY more than a habit.

[tacticalogic]

I think you almost have it right - the endorphine release becomes addictive in and of itself.

It strikes me that we're already addicted to it. I suspect if you totally deprive a person of it, they'd probably become suicidal.