Earlier quoted context omitted.
I don't think people realize the scale of soda consumption that needs to happen to have health issues. By and large the people in these affected studies are not drinking water at all. They are getting all their thirst needs met by a sugary drink. That is so overboard. You can have a can of coke every now and then and not have your enamel slough off.
Mostly from own experience I know poor people drink sodas and as you get used to the taste you don’t like taste of plain water - even when you have decent tap water. As an adult I started drinking tap water and now I don’t like taste of sodas anymore. I am happy that I got over with it but still have some people I know stuck on sodas and disliking plain water taste.
Humans have been constantly flavoring our water for thousands of years, I think the verdict is in that water tastes kinda meh. I would take tea or flavor extracts every time.