I know what you mean, Lilly. My husband used to ask why I didn't try vaping instead of smoking cigarettes. (He can't stand the smell of cigarettes.) I told him that no other form of nicotine had the same effect. I tried vaping. I didn't see the appeal.
Cigarette smoking is a complex addiction. Of course there is the addictive substance, nicotine, to deal with. But then there is the act of smoking--by that I mean the physical act--that is appealing to smokers. There is the habit of smoking--all of the places, events, etc. that trigger the desire for a smoke. And there are the cigarettes themselves--the taste, the brand, the buzz.
It's all evil, I tell you!