I think the difference is there is no evidence that it's a harmful addiction, growing evidence that stimulants like caffeine and Adderall protect the brain, and no growing tolerance, one big cup of coffee for me on weekdays & weekends for years, but even a small one will prevent withdrawals.
So yes, physically addictive but not unhealthy.
I wanted to add an anecdote:
I have on occasion had a migraine so bad that I couldn't eat for days, vomiting, so the caffeine withdrawal headache just got wrapped up in the overall migraine.
A couple of times this happened, I figured I'd leverage it to quit caffeine. What was the result of these caffeine free months, or one time a year? More frequent migraines and about 3lb of extra weight. I found no upside to quitting, personally. The steady once a day caffeine helps prevent the migraines and keeps a little weight off, I like it.