Just to put my two cents in on the term "addiction". There are two positions on the term, and they tend to get used interchangeably with impunity. As you can imagine, this is a very complex topic.
Addiction, in the form of chemical dependence, is a medical model term. In essence, it's any chemical substance that can cause withdrawal symptoms after use. "Use" here is defined not only in length of time, but also dosage frequency and, to be more encompassing, the dosage itself. We all know several chemical substances that can cause a physical dependence - not only in illegal substances, but also prescription medication and other substances. Dealing with addiction from this perspective usually includes weening, medication to ease withdrawal symptoms, and/or substitution of the addictive substance for a reduced harm medication as an intermediary strategy. In most cases, addiction therapy must also be accompanied by some kind of psychological therapy, which may (or may not) be modeled to the individual patient's needs. Typical forms of supporting therapy are one-to-one psychotherapy (pick your school of thought here), group therapy, or half-way homes/environments.
However (and while this is not my direct area of expertise it's something that I've worked with), addiction can also encompass psychological addiction. I want to be very clear on this point: a psychological addiction is in no way, shape, or form, imaginary. It is very real to the individual. There is a bit of cross-over from the medical model when we talk about how we *create* addiction. Any thing (and I do mean anything) can become addictive at a psychological level. This can be a simple behavior, a substance, or a very complex behavior that ties into many aspects and facets of an individual's life.
You'll have to excuse me on the simplification, but detailing the mechanics would take a lot more than what I can reference right now. When we do something pleasurable (eating is a basic example), our bodies create dopamine (among other neurotransmitters) and trigger receptors in our reward pathways. At a very simplified level, we begin to associate voluntary actions with, what we perceive consciously or subconsciously in some cases, pleasure (as a consequence of the elevated levels of dopamine). The amount depends on how valuable we perceive the behavior (or the substance) to be - the more pleasurable the behavior, the greater the reward - so to speak. So, while eating may create an X amount of dopamine in the brain, eating your favorite food (or a socially acceptable treat that you also enjoy - since social acceptance is part of the behavior feedback loop), will create >X amount of dopamine.
In more complex situations, the addiction may be created out of escape requirements, so it's no long the actual action that triggers the release of dopamine, if not the avoidance of situation. Arguably, from an evolutionary perspective in psychology, actions that help survival (through avoidance or escape) are more easily reinforced compared to elective actions (we may only be able to escape once).
However, these are not universal rules - each individual, consciously or subconsciously, assigns a value to the action (and the surrounding situation).
Now, our bodies adjust themselves to the new levels of dopamine we've created through the newly internalized action. When those levels of dopamine are not at what our body has adjusted itself to, we suffer from withdrawal symptoms. These can manifest themselves in several fashions, including (and probably the ones you can identify with immediately) anxiety, irritability, and other emotional responses. This can be extended to psychosomatic responses where you have physical symptoms (pain, allergies, outbreaks of rashes, are usually the most common).
There is still quite a bit of debate in the psychology practice of where to draw the line between the psychological approach to addictions and the medical model. By the time we've internalized that behavior and it's self-reinforcing through the dopamine feedback loop, it can be considered a medically defined addiction (basically, we're addicted to dopamine at a "higher-than-normal" - which is also based on individual tolerance - rate; we cut off that source of dopamine-triggering behavior(s), and we have withdrawal symptoms).
Typically, (and as per the DSM-IV-TR and now the DSM-V), an addiction is considered an "issue" (or a disease - though I personally dislike that term; addiction is a complex set of behaviors that contain symbology that cannot be ignored), once the behavior affects the quality of life of the individual (some will argue that we should include "and those around them"). If you talk to a medical doctor, you're going to get the medical treatment; if you go to a psychiatrist, you may be lucky and get a combination of a medical treatment and some psychological support; if you go to a psychologist, you will definitely get psychotherapy and you may get referred to a doctor for medical treatment, if the addiction requires it.
The problem here is that when people refer to addiction, they never qualify how the addiction was created, and therefore, it's impossible to determine which is the best course of action to "treat" it. Unfortunately, from a regulation/authoritarian perspective, we don't get a holistic approach - we will typically only get the medical model approach and ignore the other factors (or relegate them as secondary considerations, or worse, as a "one-size" fits all approach).
I have no idea on the actual chemical dependance factor of nicotine. I am not a chemist or a medical doctor - but I can (to a certain degree of confidence) guarantee you that the psychological addiction to the act of vaping/smoking exists. Is it something you need to seek help with? It will depend on how it affects your quality of life (and, to a further extent, your health (and the value you place on that as well)).
I just want to be clear, I'm not advocating that we all walk around with impunity on addictions - we're all addicted to something - may it be vaping (as a behavior), to the nicotine in it, to the social aspects of vaping (a complex social behavior); or, more "benign", to chocolate, or to coffee (or the caffeine in it), or to eating. The question becomes - is this behavior so extreme in nature that it is affecting my quality of life?
