I did it with a combo of green tea and the soda water + lemon/lime flavoring drinks. I'll also drink water and add lemon or lime juice.
I feel a lot better not drinking soda. If I need a pick me up I'll drink green tea. If I need something carbonated I drink a soda water/citrus drink.
Now if I take a taste of soda, it tastes awful, I don't think I'll ever go back to drinking it.
IME, consistently, for my while life in the US, “Soda” (standalone) is (in general use, there are contexts where it means something else) a carbonated and flavored soft drink, whether or not it is sugared, while “soda water” is carbonated water without additional flavor.
soda water/sparkling water like perrier, etc. Just water CO2 and some fruit juice, 0 calories.
zero soda(coke/pepsi/mt dew) intake, now just bottled water, carbonated water/fruit juice and green tea if you need a boost.
My thought behind quitting was that there was no reason to be caffeinating myself every day. That way when I do need extra energy hopefully my tolerance will be lower.