"There is nothing like the first tattoo. It's like, all of a sudden, you're part of something bigger than you are. The pain, the rush, the hum of the machine, it's like a having a religious experience." Anne V.

Annie's worked her way up to four tattoos. Four very discretely placed tattoos. I kid her about becoming the illustrated woman. But seriously, I know what she feels.

Is getting tattooed addictive? It can be.

Getting tattooed in many ways is a ritual. You put your mind in a different place and go into a meditative trance.

You endure pain.

You become different.

You evolve.

And, you don't want to stop getting tattoos.

Getting a tattoo releases endorphins, produced by the pituitary gland and the hypothalamus. In humans endorphins are produced during exercise, excitement, and orgasm. The effect is similar to taking opiates and the "endorphin rush" produces a sense of well-being. Endorphins work as "natural pain killers."

Tattoo addiction can occur if you repetitively seek the state of well-being that occurs because your body has kicked in to dull the pain.

Like any other addictive act, you have to exercise some control and set limits.

Wait a minimum of two years between tattoos.

Learn how to meditate, so you can go to the mental state you found on the tattoo table. Try to determine whether it's the mental state you crave, or having more tattoos. Use our principles to design personal tattoos.

Last, but not least, if you find that you are not going to stop getting tattoos, plan out your body art. You want to be a painting, not a billboard.