Tattoos, ink, body art; call it what you want, it’s addicting. Tattoos aren’t for everyone and that’s fine. To me, I think its such a cool way to express yourself through art of your liking.

People have been tattooing and marking their bodies for thousands of years, often for sacred and ceremonial reasons but nothing like the tattoos of today. The debate for whether tattoos are addictive or not is an ongoing one. Of the estimated 45 million US citizens who are tattooed around 32% say that tattoo’s are addicting according to  www.tattoodo.com.

“I have one tattoo, but I feel the need to want more on my body,” said senior Sydney Kovach.

Some of the reasoning people are addicted to getting tattoos is the sense of accomplishment. Tattoos don’t hurt that bad, they really don’t. Most people have different levels of tolerance for pain but in all honesty, I would compare it to sunburn or rug burn maybe. The pain of the tattoo needle even feels good at times. Adrenaline rush is another reason, the rush of adrenaline that people  get from  just by sitting in that chair as they are about to get a fresh tattoo and all the way through until it’s finished is enough to keep people going back for more, almost as a high.

“Tattoos idealize youth and fertility by drawing eyes to youthful skin and often erotic parts of the body…We’re social animals. It’s how we’re built… We rely on social behavior — attention — to substantiate us and make us feel real.” “Tattoos promise to make you attractive, as if you have a personal force akin to gravity. Notice me,” The more attraction you command, the more attention you get, and the more life you have — as we see in the public’s devotion to celebrities and leaders.” said Dr. Kirby Farewell.

“I have a tattoo in memory of my pappy and also an arrow on my left arm, therefore I have two tattoos and I plan on getting more on my body because I just love tattoos and how neat they look on the body,” said senior Hayley Palone.

There is also personal motivation behind tattoos, in that people get tattooed to commemorate loved ones, milestones, life events and important memories, all of which can be done in multiple tattoos. But honestly, the question of whether tattoos are addictive or not is one that will probably never have a true answer. Once you have a tattoo you are simply more likely to get another because the interest is there and you have already been through the process of getting one.