Hmmm...
Is sex an important component in my life? I feel this is best answered with a question of my own: Is Air an important component in yours?
Going through primary school here in America is best described as a crash-course in bullshit detection 101. Every guy in the school has gotten laid "at least once" and it seems as though every guy has a story about how "they met this hottie one time..." Personally, I stayed away from the mainstream culture of my school and willingly accepted the position of social outcast. Oddly enough, most of the gamers / geeks / nerds in the school took it upon themselves to accept this title with both dignity and pride. In our own right, we went from social outcasts to our own little clique.
What I find interesting is that everyone in our little group now has a fantastic sex life. Either on the random side of things (not exclusively night clubs / bars / pubs), or a more steady and predictable source. A theory has developed in my mind as to WHY this is the case, and for the first time ever, I will share it with the world here.
Going through school, I couldn't stop staring at the girls. Breasts, asses, legs, eyes, everything. I would commit it to memory and do nothing but think of every possible way that the girls of my school could please me. As a converse, I also thought about how to best please them. All day. Every day. I could think of nothing except for sex in the downtime between classes and homework. Even while playing in MMOs, FPSs, RTSs, and any other form of game out there, I would be thinking about sex. I still think about sex all the time... and this is why the nerd group all has little black books with at least 40 names (EACH) that will be voluntary booty calls.
See, when you think about nothing but sex for a solid 4 years of your life, you begin to apply your normal life processes to it. We were gamers. We aimed not only for efficiency, but also replay-value, achievement, goal-based action, and the unceasing devotion to one task until it has been perfected. I know that I did a fair bit of research on the female body to find how to best please women (this is where I draw my love of sex); however, I also researched the male body in an effort to discover ways to bring myself closer to sexual perfection. It would not surprise me in the least to learn that my fellow nerd friends pursued similar courses of action.
To wrap everything up with a number based example: If I don't orgasm (and I mean orgasm, not ejaculate) at least 3 times a day, sometimes 4, I get very irritable. Common tasks become difficult and I lose interest in everyday things. Yes, it's at the point where you could call it an addiction, but it's one that I'll gladly support.