Strange, I find the violence in SOA, while plentiful, is actually quite tame compared to what is being shown in other, similar network shows (Boardwalk Empire, GOT, etc.). I do have to agree that the situational violence (torture, beatings, child molestation, etc.) is a little more jarring.
For example, the idea of Jax torturing the guy at the end was far more harsh than what they actually showed on screen. The only 3 times I've struggled watching/dealing with this show were