Harmony, carbonated drinks call to us, too. We do have to be careful. I think I'm a bit addicted to something in them, but don't know if it's the sugar or caffeine. I can avoid, but am still drawn to them.
Dd24 drinks carbonated flavored waters. They are not cheap. She likes a brand called "Bubly", but "Waterloo" brand is her favorite, and she buys the blackberry lemonade flavor most often. She says she only had to get used to them and then she started liking them just the way she did colas, etc., and can now avoid the sugared drinks. That makes them worth the price to her. Yes, easy matters, doesn't it? She credits the ease of having these cans available to reach in the fridge and grab, takes one for her lunch at work, where they have a fridge, so she has a kind of treat to drink with lunch.
I think that I do as well with a (less caffeine) hot cup of green tea in the morning as I do with coffee. But I wonder how you would know for sure. I have "Kava" regular instant coffee when I do have it, but if it's not early in the morning I have Max well House decaf, so in theory that doesn't have much caffeine anyway. ("Kava" is not so acid, better for acid reflux) Green tea has a good reputation for a lot of healthy reasons. Teabag just has to steep for a couple minutes.