If nicotine is the addictive component in cigarettes, why are people reluctant to use other, albeit, less harmful means like e-Cigarettes?

Just going by feel: My first cigarette of the day makes me dizzy, ecigs don't.    It feels like tobacco smoke delivers a sharper spike in nicotine blood levels.    Ecigs give a smaller bump with each puff.    You never feel "finished" because your blood levels of nicotine don't hit that peak. Again, going by feel.   Somebody should research this.

TL;DR - People don't try them because they enjoy smoking and they don't think they can get out of the e-cig what they get from smoking. IME, this simply isn't true. I preach to everyone I know now. I switched a week ago Thursday. (on Jan 31, 2013) I have been a smoker on and off for almost 30 years. I had a stint of 10 years in there where I quit entirely. I had seen a couple of people using e-cigs but I had my doubts. I understood the concept but I was worried that I would not get the same feeling from the smoke in the back of my throat or that I would not get much smoke at all and the earlier models didnt really provide what I was looking for based on the few pulls I had tried from friends that were using them. I am now a proponent. Most of the vape bars I have been to recommend that you keep smoking normal cigs as you get used to it. I wholeheartedly disagree. I am convinced that I will never go back. The day I bought my kit I put a half a pack of cigs in the glove box and I haven't touched them. The part I do agree with that they also seem to recommend is to stick to tobacco flavors at first (I was a menthol smoker so I got Premium Menthol e-juice). Going to sweet/candy/desert type flavors makes it too little like smoking and can eventually end up being a turnoff or triggering another addiction. Sweets make me hungry and I am already fat, I don't need something triggering my food addiction. I get the fact that they are a little heavier and the form factor is completely different but for me, that was an easy adjustment. Keeping the cig in my mouth while I was doing other things was annoying anyway, the second hand smoke would get in my eyes or go up my nose and I would get ashes all over myself. It was out of convenience that I did that and frankly, I'm glad to get away from that part, especially the ashes. Getting a stomach ache from over doing is common in the early stages especially if you are using 18mg or more of nicotine in your mix. I am also a Cigar smoker (about 1 or 2 a month, not giving those up) and that has gotten me accustomed to the larger intake of nicotine so that subsided quickly. The gadget factor also has me hooked. They sell rigs for as much as $200 or more with digital readouts that are actually HACKABLE which appeals to my geek side. I know several people that have quit cigs entirely and are now using 2 mg - 0mg of nicotine. Give it a chance, make the necessary adjustments to your habit and I promise you it will work. Both the iPhone and Android have apps that track your progress and show you how many cigs you HAVEN'T smoked and how much money you've saved. Saving money is more addictive IMNSHO.

From my personal experience of trying to switch to e-cigs only to eventually switch back there were several factors. -Most of the e-cigs today are bulkier and heavier than your typical cigarette. Physical habits have a lot to do with the addiction. I couldnt hold it the same way with my fingers. It was to heavy to hold alone in my lips without assistance which is something I do most of the time while driving or using my phone -Another factor was knowing when to stop smoking. I usually smoke while watching TV and the indicator than I am done smoking is the fact that the cigarette is finished. With the e-cig I found myself smoking much more, usually up until I would start to feel a stomach ache. -Also a regular cigarette is a guaranteed cigarette. There's nothing more annoying than starting to smoke a cigarette only to realize that you can't because your battery is dead and must first be recharged. -I think that smokers are addicted to several different factors of smoking in addition to the nicotine. For me personally I hate smelling like smoke to others there is something I like about the smell of smoke while I'm smoking. ...Just a few possible reasons.

It's the various MAO inhibitor constituents of cigarette smoke that are actually more responsible for the pleasure and compusivity than nicotine. Nicotine is not inherently addictive. It only plays a faciliatory role. The tobacco executives were RIGHT when they swore in congressional hearings that they did not believe nicotine was addictive. The politics of smoking and of research funding are complex.