I think this distinction really confuses the issue because the actual physiological changes that can make quitting cold turkey actually fatal for certain drugs

I think this distinction really confuses the issue because the actual physiological changes that can make quitting cold turkey actually fatal for certain drugs at certain intensities can appear to be on a continuum if you're not looking at actual cells and organs. I think a lot of what we understand as "psychological" addictions to drugs are just drugs where the addictive changes are limited to higher functioning portions of the brain. And our obsession with mind-body duality means we understand those differently.