please do not casually recommend nicotine to people. it is not like caffeine. maybe you are able to use it a little without getting addicted, but that would make you an outlier. it is not a replacement for a cup of coffee in any form, and you're casually suggesting others play fast and loose with a nasty and horribly addictive substance.

God and nicotine gum is so nasty, it makes you burp and has this weird acrid chemical taste. Just awful.

The mode of injestion impacts how addictive something is. Nicotine via gum is less addictive that smoking, which is less addictive than vaping.

The unpleasant experience you describe also helps to limit addictiveness, as does not using two days in a row.

I find caffeine much more addictive than nicotine. We're all different.