A big part that is often not talked about is the oral fixation. A lot of smokers smoke because they use it as a mental break--both day to day life at work and at home--and like having something to do idly. Feeling restless or anxious? Go have a cigarette and think about what to do next.
That physical habit is a powerful thing. Some people can replace cigarettes with vapes, but it isn't the same thing.
Same is true with patches and gum. Those can help with nicotine cravings, but they do nothing for the physical habit that many smokers really enjoy.
It's not just the nicotine. It's how it is delivered that counts for a lot. Small nicotine blasts to the system that the user controls are much different than a patch which slowly seeps nicotine into the system.
We haven't done much research on vaping as a smoking cessation tool.
We've done a bit on other forms of nicotine replacement, and they are more effective when they're delivered as a package of treatment, and less effective if they're used alone with nothing else.
Some smokers who've switched to vaping are now in a weird super-position state: they don't smoke right now because they vape, but take the vaping away from them and they'll go back to cigarettes.
That's not ideal. But it's probably better than them sticking with cigarettes.
> take the vaping away from them and they'll go back to cigarettes.
That's not likely, unless their vapes were just ripped away without warning (even less likely). People that want(ed) to quit, including myself, gradually taper their nicotine to zero, and then one day just put down the vape and don't go back to nicotine in any form.
That physical habit is a powerful thing. Some people can replace cigarettes with vapes, but it isn't the same thing.
Same is true with patches and gum. Those can help with nicotine cravings, but they do nothing for the physical habit that many smokers really enjoy.