Are tattoos really an addiction?
 

I don't know if it's an addiction as much as it's a creative desire. Most people I know who have lots of tattoos usually have an image in their mind of what they want the tattoos to look like. And often this means more than one to get the full piece of art done.

I will have to agree that it is an expression. I wanted one as a teenager and then had kids instead. LOL Last year my 18 year old niece took me for a little ride to a tattoo palar and says Aunt you always wanted one you are getting one. So she and I proceeded to each get one. I now have a little shell on my ankle that I so love and love her for taking me. My kids all rolled their eyes at me when I got home and they saw what my niece took me to do. Of course all say I need to grow up. Giggles but I love it and will always feel like it was the right thing to do for me. My little shell is an expression of me and how much I love the beach. :)

Personally, I don't think the tattoo its self is an addiction. The chemicals your body releases when getting a tattoo is what can be addictive. Endorphins and adrenalin can be very powerful "drugs". I remember how my whole body (and mind) felt after a tattoo on my shoulder. I would like to feel like that everyday however, I can't do it naturally. There has to be an outside factor to it.

I've known of people who have let bills fall behind in order to get a tattoo. I guess it doesn't feel as good to them paying their rent as it does getting a tat.

In a nut shell, I can see the addictive attributes to tattoos.

I vote nay
 

I don't have an addictive personality so when I make the decision to mark a milestone of my life upon my canvas it's just that a piece of art that tells a story to me about me.

Personally, I don't think of it as an addiction, but I've never known anyone that got tats instead of paying bills.

My daughter has a sunset on her back, it's just one of 14 that she has. My son has a few. Just like piercings, it's an expression of self, and part of their identities. Don't know where they got the idea to get them, but I also have a little art.

Because it's pretty much permanent, a lot of thought and consideration goes into body art decisions, similar to body sculpting...

It takes a lot of planning, research, time, to find or create, the design, locate an artist, and get a large tat, but the results are awesome!



Would a person that spent a year planning a vacation cruise,
they take the cruise, enjoy it
have endorphins like crazy flooding them during the vacation
be addicted to the vacation experience?

Thought, time, planning, money are involved in both scenarios, and I don't consider either to be an addiction.


Personal opinion only!!!

I think the saying "tattoos are addicting" is meant to be tongue-in-cheek. I was told that before and after I got mine. That was a few years ago and I have yet to get another one. BUT it is b/c my finances do not allow it-lol.

I can see how someone may say that they are addicting though. I think that a lot of body modifications could be.

Currently, I have one tat, ears pierced twice (thinking about a new piercing) and several artistic cuttings (thinking about a touch up). And yes, I want more.

Now, for anyone who thinks ink is addictive, try a cutting. Mine go away so I have reason to get more ;)

:sparklyheart:

When I get tattooed I tend to fall asleep. I'm not sure if it's something physical or if it's the rhythmic sound of the gun. It's totally relaxing for me. I also love the smell of the A&D ointment.

______well said. :)

I have 7 . Planning more when I have the cash.

I am over 20 and still going :cheesy:

I have 4 so far..Addicting i think probly for me..The cash flow has alot to do with getting my next one..Thinking how big i will go..I have 3 more i want to get then i will have 7 total and i cant think past those so i might be done..They are all close to my heart..I want to get one in memory of my dog..He has been gone for 6 years now..Kept thinking what i wanted and i came up with the perfect one for him..That one will probly be close to a weeks pay i am sure..It will be worth every dollar..I miss that dog..Then one thinking about my Mom and the last will be a fun one..I put alot of thought to all of them..When i keep thinking of the same thing and not changing things in the design then i know that is what i want..After the holiday-taxes-insurance stuff i am sure it will happen in a few months..As far as the endorphins go i dont think i have any..When i am done my stomach feels pukie and feel kinda dizzy..I go home and wait about an hour then the burning starts for a few hours not to mention when the water hits it in the shower..That hurts..Falling asleep no not me..I am to busy grinding my teeth hoping none of them chip into pieces..Maybe those are my endorphins..They hurt getting them but i love em..

The only thing that keeps me awake during a cutting is that I do not want any onlooker to think I passed out :)

:sparklyheart:

Have some tats, I think my drive has always been more the particular tat or event, person place that inspired the tat... BUT I definitely find in the immediate situation of getting tattooed absolute and unusual enjoyment... *shrugs*

i love ink.
i hate the pain
i love my half sleeve so far
i love the way it looks
i hate scabs

yeah for me its an addiction

i don't have a tattoo, ... so i can't say. but i can see how it could be an addiction and creative expression. when a person gets so many tattoos that their body is covered, or close to it ... that has to be more on the line of addiction. but again, none here.

when i think of getting a tattoo, it feels so personal. so i can say for sure it wouldn't start off as an addiction. but no addiction does lol.

on the outside looking in, might say i'm skeered lol. nahhh

if i could fall asleep, i would be heavily tattoo'd

my last one made me tremble heavily and it hurt for nearly 10 days, my inner arms are so fresh, the skin is so new.

Anyway, i still love ink

LaneyDoll..
I was thinking that if you cant relax enough to fall asleep then you arent getting all what the cutting has to offer.. Maybe you need your cutter to give you a more private setting where people cant see you..If they cant give you a little more privacy then your cutter should understand your sleeping and keep the people away..Maybe i am wrong but its just what i am thinking..I dont understand the cutting thing but then again i do.. My wrists are full of scars from being cut at work and it kinda looks like i am a self cutter..When i would get cut i can feel the uneveness of the steel go right through my skin and not plesant for me..The burning would start because of the solvents and oils getting into my cut..Cant really get it cleaned good until i get home..
I do love getting tattoos and dislike the week of healing..The end result is well worth the pain..Happy cutting..

For me yes they are an addiction, a managed addiction.

17 and counting.

I admit, I am adicted.

Before my first tattoo, people told me that they are painful. I was sitting there waiting for the excruciating pain to start. It never did.

Getting a tattoo puts me in some kind of trance. I love the feeling and, of course, love the end results

Damn phone. I am addicted too. Lol

I don't feel qualified to say whether getting tattoos is an addiction and I'm not really sure what health care professionals actually call an addiction, so I looked on Wikipedia and this is what the say:

Addiction is a state characterized by compulsive engagement in rewarding stimuli, despite adverse consequences

I guess if you get tattoos in a "compulsive" way (perhaps that means, without much thought or consciousness about what you're doing); and get tattoos despite what might be "adverse consequences," then maybe it can be considered an addiction.

This is probably a really over-simplified view, but it's a place to start into the topic of whether it's an addiction.

I'm thinking of getting a tattoo, and if I do, I will think a LOT about it and there will be nothing compulsive driving my decision.

Anyone else getting any new tats?

I want another one next year, a bigger piece on my back to cover up an old tat.

I have zero tattoos and yet I'm obsessed with them and the idea of having them. I'm just indecisive and I don't think I can trust anyone. I'd like an appointment with Alice Carrier in Portland, but it must be impossible to get one.

You can find a good trustworthy tattoo artist if you do your research. Most of my tats came from one specific tattoo shop but different artist. I check on the BBB website to see if they have good standing.