I believe the addiction and dependence with cigarettes is more than just to the nicotine found in cigarettes. It's extremely complex, with not only physical factors but psychological and behavioral factors as well.
Cigarette tobacco has hundreds of added chemicals besides dried tobacco leaves. Many of those have been found to be addictive, so withdrawal symptoms can be expected even with nicotine replacement systems in place. This is a good explanation for the reason that the Nicotine patch and gum are so ineffective.
Much of cigarette addiction involves behavioral factors. The hand-to-mouth ritual is hard to break after years and years. Holding the cigarette in the hand is a familiar behavior. During times of stress, cigarettes can act as a pacifier to give a false sense of security. We all remember how we often chained smoked during a crisis. A legitimate reason why long time smokers are so reluctant to even consider quitting - that would be like giving up on and betraying a long-time loyal friend who was always there to comfort them during times of stress.
Nothing is easier than lighting up and smoking a cigarette.
vaping is more difficult - it requires some foresight and preparation far more complex than smoking. Charging batteries, filling juice attachments, steeping e-liquids, planning far in advance to order e-liquids with enough time included for the shipping/delivery of those e-liquids, etc. Cigarettes were easy enough to get with a 5 minute drive to the nearest convenience store or gas station. Add to the fact that no e-liquid flavor is ever going to exactly mimic the cigarette brand that the smoker used for decades.
A potential vaper will need to make concessions to make the transition from smoking to
vaping; concessions that some stubborn smokers are not willing to make. "It's too big and heavy; it looks nothing like my cigarettes. I'll never use something that looks like that!" "The vapor is too harsh and makes me cough. I'd rather stick with my cigs." "I just want something that tastes like my ****** brand of cigarettes, otherwise I want nothing to do with it".
Of course, the most important factor to quit smoking is the genuine desire and motivation to quit. If its not there 100%, chances are any attempt to quit will be unsuccessful. For some smokers, a life-changing event will be needed - a heart attack or a stroke. A close family member or friend dies from cancer or lung disease.
For myself, I had tried the patch, gum, hypnosis, and prescription drugs to quit smoking. By coincidence, the week I found my first e-cigarette at a convenience store was the week my mother discovered she had cancer. One week later she was told her cancer was untreatable, and two days later she passed on. This hit me extremely hard. She was 85, extremely active and driving herself everywhere, still playing the piano for my childhood country church. Thought to be in good health for her age.
Her death was a life changing event for me. It made me realize my own mortality. I was tired of coughing up a lung every morning with my children asking me with concern, "Dad are you alright?" I couldn't walk up a flight of stairs without becoming out of breath. I knew I had to quit or I'd be dead within 10 years. I was way too young for that to happen.
Making the choice to transition from smoking to vaping changed my life, and saved my life.
