Serious diet coke ex-addict here.
Found that when I finally gave it up, my taste for other sweet food like fresh fruit was restored and processed sweets and candy have lost their appeal.
Best thing, though, was kicking the caffeine addiction. I fast once a year for religious reasons and by 5:00 in the evening I'd have a screaming headache from caffeine withdrawal. Now my only caffeine comes from green tea, which is fairly minimal, and if I can't get a cup of tea for some reason or another, it's no big deal at all.
I don't buy soda for my kids, but I don't "forbid" it either. I'm afraid that being on the "no-no" list will make it seem more attractive than it should be. Interestingly enough, they gravitate to seltzer, "fizzy water", or iced tea (sweetened with sugar if at all).
Maybe kids these days are just smarter that we were. 
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