What’s stopping you from getting inked? If it’s the fear of getting addicted, then there’s good news for you.
Tattoos can be fun, people often get inked to express their love, beliefs, respect, ideas and honour someone important in their life. But are they really addictive?
- According to Dr Daniel Selling, a psychologist at Williamsburg Therapy Group in New York, the word addiction in the context of tattoos is misused.
- In order for a person’s behaviour deemed to be an addiction, it needs to meet specific criteria, tattooing does not meet these criteria.
- Alcoholics, gamblers, or drug users, for instance, might be able to feed their habits with frequent rewards, but even the most heavily tattooed people can’t be constantly getting inked.
- While you can’t have a tattoo addiction, it can be a dependence where you feel some elements of need and withdrawal, and if this affects your life in a wrong way, you should definitely seek help.
- For many people who love tattoos, though, the passion doesn’t interfere with their lives; rather, it enhances them.
So why do people want to cover their body with ink more and more?
- For some people It’s the body tolerating annoyance and pain coupled with excitement and change, don’t confuse this with self-injury behaviour.
- Many enjoy being the part of a larger culture, which makes them fit into a group and stand out from others.
- For those who suffer from trauma or abuse, the tattoo may reflect their control and a powerful re-doing.
