"Before" implies a change?

Question

"Before" doesn't normally imply a change, but in the following sentence, does it imply a change, like "until" does? Does "before" equal "until"?

Before last week, I always believed in Santa Claus , but now I don't.

Before last week I'd always believed in Santa Claus, but then l realized he wasn't real.

Answer 1

In that sentence, before means the same as until, but it's not as good a word as until, since that specifically means up to a point in time.

The word always isn't necessary if you use until, which implies at all points in time up to last week.