> It's just a preference thing. They taste bad _to you_, not to everyone.

That's great, but it still means I can't have soft drinks any more.

Most soft drinks are not made with artificial sweeteners.

Where are you that the only available soft drinks are artificially sweetened? Never been to a restaurant or fast food place or grocery store that only carried the diet/zero and didn't carry the standard coke or pepsi.

If you keep drinking them, you'll likely acquire a taste. I didn't used to like any artificial sugar flavors, but now I've grown accustomed to them.