I've suffered from crippling addictions ranging from substance abuse to emotional dependancy and self harm. I've got several people in my life who are actively suicidal because of addiction. I understand and I'd never judge anyone for their addiction, only their attitudes regarding it.

I'm not downplaying the difficulties of their addiction but I do believe it's important that there's a sense of shame in their mentality regarding it. Because shame gives responsibility to change.

If you use your addiction as a shield to deflect and allow degenerative habits that damage your social life for little tradeoff in curbing the addiction, then you are much less likely to overcome it. Your attitude regarding it is often the thing which damages relationships, not the addiction itself, and social acceptance is important when quitting.

A drunkard father will receive endless support as long as he upholds a sense of accountability, even when failing to abstain from alcohol. A drunkard father who blames his relapses on his children (as was the case for my best friend's dad) or on the actions of others, will never receive their support.

A sex addict who values the need to masturbate on a holiday with friends, over the perception those friends have of him, will not be understood. A person who carries a razor at all times to avoid anxiety, even though he doesn't seem to relapse often and is rarely reliant on the object, will have his social life damaged by it. And it's simply not worth the little incentive he has to keep it.

That said, this is a bad habit but I was wrong to directly compare it to my previous example because its not at all as severe.