I know what you mean to be honest, as I feel the same in a round about way.
This could just be me, and I appreciate that completely....but.... having both smoked (13 years) the vaped (6months) I honestly believe that if pharmaceutical nicotine, just nicotine and not the added extras in tobacco smoke, was only available via a drip then no one would bother. None tobacco smoke type nicotine is in itself not very rewarding. Too many vapers are whizzing down to zero for it to be this ' highly addictive' substance it's claimed to be, me included and I'm not Super Siff ;). So just pharmaceutical nicotine then habit as more and more are easily breaking the habit of using nicotine. Many go onto continue the habit of vaping with zero nicotine liquid.
Nicotine in the chemical stew that is tobacco smoke then addiction, no doubt about it in my mind. Added anti depressants (MAOI's) in the chemical stew make sure we are addicted, till we grit our teeth and say no more and work through the quit.
I often ask myself am I a nicotine addict, really? I would say I was a tobacco smoke addict as I felt the urge so many times (in the first 5 months) to have a cig and put myself out of detox misery. But a none tobacco smoke addict, just nicotine via a drip- then no