I think everything has to be done in moderation. Too much of anything can be bad for you. When you say a soft addiction I'm assuming you mean something that doesn't involve drugs. Even soft addictions can be harmful, like drinking too much coffee can cause insomnia or dehydration. Everything in moderation is the key.
I believe all addictions can be bad, that's my opinion about it.. Whether it's love, drugs, alcohol or anything really. "ad·dic·tion the fact or condition of being addicted to a particular substance, thing, or activity." It's okay to like doing something but if you come to realization that you feel addicted to it or if someone points it out then I wouldn't call it a healthy addiction.
Everything that is overdone is bad, so probably every addictions fits that "role". You have to keep in mind that there needs to be a balance. Even when you think an addiction is good you may be surprised about the aftermath - always make sure to see things from other perspectives as well.
I think a soft addiction is something that doesn't interfere in your daily life, and something that won't cause long-term damages to your body or is capable to cause your death anytime soon. A perfect example would be addiction to the internet, or talking on the phone, reading, shopping, etc.
If you make the mistake of defining addiction incorrectly I guess that stat you found could be believable. Either way addiction is bad. If 90% of the population decided to drive drunk would that make it good? Of course not. Addiction is bad, and it's not a popularity contest. Don't even get me going on this hard vs. light addiction rubbish, because that is what it is. Rubbish.
I would say that it all depends on the addiction. Some are addicted to cleaning. Is that worse than an addiction to drugs? No, but it is still just as disruptive to living a healthy life because you will forever find dirt and germs wherever you go. I also think that some things are more like habits rather than an addiction.
I think there's a fine line between an addiction and a habit. An addiction is a more destructive thing. You're addicted when you feel like a slave to something. Obviously, that's not good at all. While a habit is something that's pretty powerful but not that much. It takes much less time to break the habit and kick it out. What about me is that I used to consume crisps back in the day. I mean A LOT. Once I became totally fed up with them, I just stopped buying that stuff. So, it was a habit. Pretty bad for my stomach.
There is so much ignorance going on in this topic that I am finding it frustrating to follow. If it is something that you want to classify as a "soft addiction", I have news for you. It is not an addiction. Addiction is a serious, definable, physically measurable disease with clear parameters. You aren't addicted to reading, cleaning, talking on the phone, or a multitude of other habitual behaviors people seem intent on calling addictions.
As long as you can function without this "addiction" I do not think it is that bad. But if it gets to the point where one cannot function without it, then it is bad.
In theory, if you can call it an addiction, then it's definitely bad. As long as you have to sacrifice things that would matter for your close ones just because you want to feel something, repeatedly, it's definitely bad for your social life. And I'm just reffering only at mild forms of addictions.
I think all addiction is bad and yes most of us tend to have some form of addiction. We may not realize it now but the bad habits that we are addicted will have consequences later on in life.
Any kind of addiction is harmful. Food addiction can lead to one being overweight. Addicted to the Internet can make you not concentrate on other things. Addicted to travelling can make you to overspend. So there is no good kind of addiction.