Speaking as someone who cut out caffeine cold turkey, it's a different thing

I got stinking headaches for a week, but not an overwhelming urge to drink caffeine

When smokers quit, they almost always describe the urge to smoke rather than the physical side effects, often described more like hunger.

> I got stinking headaches for a week, but not an overwhelming urge to drink caffeine

This is exactly my experience after not drinking coffee for 1-2 days. Headaches that make the thought of drinking coffee slightly disgusting.

I've done this several times, I have a headache for 24-48 hours then pretty much back to normal. Tolerance takes longer to reset obviously and I'm sure I get more energetic in subtle ways I'm unaware of in there... but I don't think it's remotely comparable to a serious addiction, from what I've read tobacco is probably the most widely accepted thing able to cause that level of addiction.

You don't get cramps from nicotine withdrawal, it's more a nagging discomfort and unease.

The worst is over after a couple of days off cigarettes too, but there's a thick trail for a couple of weeks and a long thin tail for a couple of years.

There's got to be more to this because even though I consume prolific amounts of caffeine I do not experience any pain on cessation. Yet, many of my coworkers do feel this pain.