Venom,
I too never smoked. I'm not nor have ever been a smoker. I started vaping about two weeks ago.
I retired from the military recently. I had always wanted to take up a pipe. My dad smoked a pipe a long time ago. I was hesitant to make the jump - I didn't want to get hooked on the nicotine, didn't want to deal with the tobacco, didn't want to deal with the other health issues, etc.
I had seen the e-cigs and wondered if there was such a thing but in pipe form. Sure enough, there is. I spent many weeks researching, looking up vendors, looking up health aspects of vaping, weighing the pros/cons, all that jazz. I finally made the plunge and bought my pipe and juices and extras as I said two weeks ago.
My intention was just to vape the pipe during the day while working on the computer or just lounging around the house watching tv, etc.
I bought zero nic juice, bought many different types of flavors. And I only vape off and on during the day and a bit in the evening. I have discovered that I vape a lot while watching a good football game - it keeps me from biting my nails!
I didn't have any need to quit smoking or to change from analogs to e-cigs like many (probably all) of the others here. Their opinions on the dangers of smoking and addiction to nicotine should be respected and listened to.
But my want was for a very specific reason. Kinda like yours, but for no real social reason. I just wanted to take up a pipe and this was the safest way to do so which my wife really supported - after I educated her as I educated myself about vaping.
I'm an adult. I spent 22 years in the military and saw a lot of, ummm, stuff. I can decide for myself what I want to do. Is there risk? Sure. There is risk in rolling out of bed in the morning. If you are wanting to do this for simply social reasons, if you are going/wanting to use zero nic juice, then I say do what you want. Is it/could it be habit forming? Maybe. So what? How many people are slaves to that first morning cup of coffee? Not only for the caffeine hit, but out of habit?
If you are really serious about it being simply for social/occasional use then in my opinion its no more habit forming than watching your favorite tv show every week (or being sure you DVR it for later consumption.) If you aren't using nic juice, simply vaping for flavors, the chance of a physical addiction would seem to be fairly low (probably near zero).
If you have done your research, done a basic ORM study on yourself in taking this up and can afford it, do what you want.