yes, i avoid sodas as much as i can too.
i had my first soda this week with my dinner. during the week, i live on milk and water. i'll tell you something, people say i have nice teeth (i know, wtf kind of compliment is that) and how white they are. but aside from whitening toothpaste, i don't bleach my teeth, and even before i used that i still got the compliments on my white teeth. my secret is not drinking a lot of soda and tea, and no coffee at all (not hard, it tastes nasty imo). all that stuff will turn your teeth sooooo yellow.
and for the ladies, the caffeine will make your bones brittle. osteoporosis runs in my family, but i hope not to get it by drinking as much milk as i can, and later also taking calcium suppliments (i think it's a little too early for that, lol).
i like the taste of coke, but the benefits of not drinking it all the time outweigh the taste imo. plus, by me drinking it only once or twice a week, it makes it taste all the more better when i do drink it because it seems like a special occasion. so i've become picky, i only like it out of the fountain, and i'll settle for a can if i have to. but no bottles. it's not fizzy enough, not even the 20 oz. sizes.