I've never gotten a distinct feeling of anything positive from smoking either but I never got addicted or anything with high levels of nicotine in me.
Spath would know
idk if you didnt inhale anything or what but everybody gets a head rush body high whatever feeling from their first few, thats not placebo or peer pressure manifesting itself lol there are chemicals being absorbed into your blood doing stuff to your brain
I know almost nothing personally about smoking cigarettes/cigars but tolerance builds up fairly fast and then yeah its just addiction to nicotine