So, it delivers a certain satisfaction when you drink it. Maybe there are other less sugary drinks that give you similar satisfaction - have you tried replacing the ice tea with say, cans of plain club soda? That's how I got off my sweetened drink addiction. In my case, I enjoyed the kick from the fizz more than the taste itself, so I was pretty happy drinking unsweetened fizzy water.
In your case, maybe the answer is brewing your own iced tea with a milder sweetener maybe steep a tangerine in the jug like they do with sangria?
I tried a few things. Club soda, a bunch of mildly flavored waters and a few brands of unsweetened tea (but not all of them). It's just not the same. I prefer water over all of those if it came down to it, but water is pretty boring you know.
I haven't tried squeezing my own fruit into tea. Maybe I'll give that a shot.
You are right though, it's no different than how smoking was. It does cause some amount of desire before you do it, and then satisfaction afterwards. Textbook addiction loop.
In your case, maybe the answer is brewing your own iced tea with a milder sweetener maybe steep a tangerine in the jug like they do with sangria?