Alcohol versus soda: which is worse?

Alcohol

Alcohol stops you burning calories and slows your metabolism down. Stops burning fat and building muscle. 

Your body can use burn any of these for energy; carbohydrates, protein, fat, and alcohol. Alcohol is a convenient energy source. So when you're drinking, your body will burn that before it goes back to burning fat. Alcohol gets converted by your liver into acetate which is used for fuel before the carbohydrates, proteins and fat in your system. So if you have alcohol available for energy your body will not oxidize or burn fat for fuel. Your body will always use the acetate from alcohol for energy before other nutrients first and what you don’t use will get stored as fat.
"Everything you eat or drink will either feed muscle and increase metabolism or feed fat and lower metabolism... Your muscles will only receive energy from food or drink that has nutritional value. Alcohol is empty calories void of any nutritional value for your muscles. What alcohol you don’t use for energy will eventually get stored in the fat parking lot. It’s pretty much that simple. A 'beer belly' is just that: too many empty calories from alcohol being stored as fat."

http://www.shapingconcepts.com/blog/beer-wine-liquor-which-is-better-for-weight-loss/

Soda

Those who gave it up reported losing 20 pounds (9 kilograms) in six months without exercise. Read below...

Soda has no nutritional value. It contributes to obesity and diabetes, tooth decay and weakened bones. It depletes the body of vitamin A, calcium and magnesium--all nutrients needed for healthy weight loss. Drinking soda also has a bad effect on the taste buds. 

"Some research suggests that soda, even diet soda, can actually make you feel hungrier given the artificial sweeteners that signal the brain to crave extra food. This can make losing weight a lot more difficult. In addition, according to a study by the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio, diet soda actually enhances weight gain by as much as 41 per cent.

"Two cans or glasses of soda per day adds approximately 24 to 35 pounds of fat per year, depending on body size, age, habits, etc.. Some people (weighing in at 140 pounds) have reported that by giving up two cans of soda per day, without exercise, they lost 20 pounds in six months."

http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/fitness/weight-loss/want-to-lose-weight-fast-cut-out-soda-from-your-diet.html