Don’t do this. And if you are going to do this, make sure you don’t vape one day when you can get access to the gum/lozenges you’ve become addicted to.
Nicotine addiction is a real pain in the ass and the nootropic effects of it really aren’t worth the hassle.
I did some experimenting with nicotine a couple years back, and after much disappointment I stumbled upon an effect that’s actually useful to me: pushing through mid-afternoon sleepiness.
During a full work day, particularly when i haven’t had the best night’s sleep, I’ll find myself getting pretty drowsy for a period of an hour or so, generally soon after lunch.
Previous my strategy had been to counteract that with coffee - now, when I catch myself nodding off at my desk, I’ll just pop a 2mg nicotine lozenge, and boom, back on track.
Comes on quick, and goes away quick, doesn’t cause problems falling asleep if I take it too late in the day, doesn’t disrupt my flow state when I’m in the zone - it’s just right for me!
Admittedly it sounds like you’ve been maintaining this for a long time without issue, and the lozenges are next to harmless, but I would caution anyone reading this against assuming that they will be as lucky.