Porn addiction is a SYMPTOM

It goes hand in hand. For some it's probably more of a cause than a symptom. I think you're right about trauma needing to be addressed but saying PMO addiction is strictly a symptom is probably not true, in my opinion.

 

You are only half right on this one. There may be underlying psychological reasons why people start watching porn and masturbating excessivly. Fear of intimacy or trauma may be two of these reasons. But it can happen purely out of boredom. This is what famous Gabe Deem said about himself. And this is what I would say about myself too. I had an active life even while PMOing. With time I started to experience more and more symptoms which no one had an explanation for. One day hell broke loose.

This is a list of symptoms I experience. The same symptoms are experienced by long term benzo users:

Visual snow: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=68421.0

Dizziness / fatigue / lightheadedness / feeling like on a boat / flying:

• http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=67496.0
• http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=128947.0

Afterimages and other visual effects: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=148535.10

Bloating: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=107652.0

Gum pain and bad taste in mouth: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=129902.0

Sensitive teeth: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=61596.0

Frequent uriniation: http://www.benzobuddies.org/forum/index.php?topic=166028.0

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cognitive_neuroscience_of_dreams (look under "Dopaminergic activation")

Damage to dopaminergic areas leads to loss of dreams and motivation. Which is exactly what I experienced during my PMO years.

In addition I have wet dreams.

And I have been checked by doctors who found nothing wrong. This is also very typical for drug withdrawal e.g with benzos. Clueless doctors deny withdrawals which can last for years yet people keep reporting them.

Protracted withdrawal can last many months. In average it is between 6 and 18 months.

You may find this thread interesting: http://www.rebootnation.org/forum/index.php?topic=13936.0

TL;DR: Underlying psychological problems may be the reason for PMO addiction. But the addiction itself can - in extreme cases - cause very strong debilitating symptoms, which can last for many months after stopping.

 

For me it's a circle. Either it can start naturally as a search of something new, especially when you're young and under influence of friends or as a symptom of escapism, trauma and so on. All in all, for the weaker ones it leads to more pmo, which leads to more depression. You either look for something in your addiction or try to escape from something.