I deplore the vile creators and distributors of child porn. And I found your Feb. 17 article about the psychology of addiction to be shallow and misleading (“The psychology behind Eliot Cutler’s repeated arrests”).

The article cited only  two sources, one of whom implied that a lack of willpower prevents porn addicts from curing themselves. Neither the reporter nor the people he interviewed addressed the growing body of evidence that addiction to pornography shares similar neural processes with substance addiction.

Scientists still have much to learn, but studies indicate that Suboxone and the new class of GLP-1 weight-loss drugs can prove effective at treating the underlying biochemistry of addiction. Part of the reason we know so little about porn addiction is that few people admit to it — and even fewer seek help. Your incomplete and simplistic article only reinforces the fatuous notion that addiction is a choice.

Triss Critchfield
South Portland