A. “Are you saying that they all act on all of these areas equally and in the same way? Can you actually say anything meaningful at all about what is happening in any one of these areas that unique to porn?”
No, I’m not saying that at all. Why does anything have to be uniquely related to porn to be considered potentially harmful? I actually have enjoyed porn for most of my life but I also understand that it can cause profound changes in brain activity. This is not based on something I just read on the internet as you implied. It is based on years of thought and research into these topics. I’ve been interested in neurology and endocrinology my whole life and while I’m not a doctor or scientist, I am, however, well read on the subject. I am simply stating that it is factually incorrect to say that there is no scientific basis for thinking that porn affects the brain in a myriad of ways- some of them harmful. Your condescension merely informs us of the confirmation bias you so proudly have on display. You also seem to have a political stance on the issue and you imply that I have one as well. Well I don’t. I’m all for porn 24/7 if you can stand it. That was me at 13 :)
B. “Porn is not addictive in the same way drugs and alcohol are addictive. You can die from alcohol and (some) drug withdrawal, you can't die from porn withdrawal.”
No one said you could. I simply stated that they are related and they utilize similar pathways. You can disagree with the research done in Britain and Germany but to act like it doesn’t exist is troublesome. I’m also well aware of how difficult it is to do good science. Part of my research into metabolism (another subject I love) has taught me that human beings are unreliable subjects and they have a very difficult time with accurate reporting. Unfortunately the topic of pornography is largely a social one and it presents distinctive issues when trying to ascertain what the truth is. A simple MRI won’t tell us everything that is going on but it is enough to start the conversation without bringing a political stance into the equation.