My experiences tend to agree with the GP. One thing to consider is that the withdraw effects may be proportional more to the intensity of an addiction prior to quitting rather than the length of time addicted. If you're drinking one cup of coffee a day, but vaping the equivalent of one or more packs a day, your nicotine withdraw may be far more severe. Conversely, if you smoke one cigarette a day, and consume the equivalent of 12 cups of coffee a day in caffeine (caffeine pills or energy drinks). This may sounds ridiculous to you, but if I were to interpolate your experience with my anecdotal sample set, it sounds as if you were vaping well over the equivalent of two packs a day. This is really extrapolation, I can't say I know anyone who has had panic attacks while going withdraw who otherwise would not have, and my sample includes people who have gone through withdraw from a pack a day + vaping. Obviously the sample is small and anecdotal. Also, I've neglected to find supporting sources. I acknowledge that you are probably relaying the events truthfully, but you are essentially downplaying the addictive potential of caffeine here similarly to how you accuse GP of downplaying the addictive effects of nicotine. In summary, caffeine withdraw is a thing, and can be worse than nicotine withdraw. I don't think you need to have some dark motive to state that.