At age 19 she found a website filled with personal listings and created a profile.
She was soon flooded with messages and found herself travelling around Auckland, as well as a trip to Melbourne, to have sex with strangers.
After speaking to a councillor, it was suggested she may have been addicted to sex.
Most psychiatrists don't officially recognise sex addiction because it isn't listed in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM), referred to as the "psychiatrist's bible".
For a mental disorder to be listed in the DSM (the fifth edition was published in 2013), there must be enough empirical data and peer-reviewed research to prove such a condition exists. That is yet to happen with sex addiction.
However, in 2014 scientists released a study that found porn addicts get high in the same way that drug addicts do.
"There are clear differences in brain activity between patients who have compulsive sexual behaviour and healthy volunteers. These differences mirror those of drug addicts," said Cambridge researcher Dr Valerie Voon, whose findings were published in the journal PLOS ONE.
Is it really an addiction or just an excuse?
"It's both, depending on the situation," says Adam Szmerling, a Psychoanalytic Psychotherapist with a special interest in working with sex addicts.
"I've seen instances where someone calls it an "addiction" to excuse their partner for cheating and conceal the depth of their pain. But I've seen situations where it's very real, and the person feels compelled to do something that they know is going to make them feel worse."
"Certainly in some individuals, it has all the hallmarks of an addiction - the person gets withdrawals, they may go on a binge fest then try and control it with a period of abstinence. But using willpower or suppression just makes it stronger."
One of the most common forms of treatments for sex addicts is based on the principles of the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous. Sex and Love Addicts Anonymous (SLAA) treats people who use sex and relationships in a compulsive way, the same way an alcoholic uses a drink.
After reflecting on her past, Gemma told Fairfax she is finally understanding the toll her sexual behaviour had taken on her life.
"I feel like I'm different to other girls, and I'm like, why is that? I don't know if it's a condition, but I know my behaviour is not that of a normal girl. There are times when I'm like, why do I have to be this way?"
TREATMENT
A former self-proclaimed sex addict from Australia said seeking treatment is highly beneficial and it makes you look at the deeper issues associated with your "condition".
"The results were beyond anything I could have envisaged. It's like calling a builder in to fix your door, but when you come home they've renovated the whole house beautifully," she told news.com.au.
"My mental health, self-esteem, career, health, family - all improved immensely."
"Any addiction hijacks life.
"All my behaviours were about pushing away from intimacy. Recovery means I've got to be prepared to take risks; both in exposing myself and seeing someone else's emotional vulnerability. But that's the most healing thing: to realise that it's OK to have those feelings and being a human being is messy.
"The way I see it is I can either have an active relationship with sex workers and porn or I can have everything else. In recovery, the best of life opens up."
