That sounds like a true scenario! Smokers lie to themselves, like all junkies.
I smoked for 20 years and thought I was trying to pack up over 15 of them.

I still went outside with 'the smokers'. I still left the house with enough change for a pack of 10. Can't remember if it was a lecture or something I read, years ago, that said smoking changes the chemistry of every cell in the body. It's my agument against it being smokers choice to smoke or not. You have little choice when you're an addict.

Back to tats. There is an 'addictive' aspect. I'd guess it's due to an adrenaline rush. However it's not a true addiction, otherwse I'd have had a half sleeve years ago