First of all, to your initial question: ABSOLUTELY YES. The total ceasing of alcohol intake will halt the PROGRESSION, or NEW damage to the Peripheral Nervous System.

Degree of recovery and repair is dependent upon a number of variables, several posted to you from fellow members already--but maximum effectiveness of any is totally contingent on complete alcohol abstinence.

I, personally am a firm believer in cold-turkey. This method is rough, very rough, especially in the beginning, with the strong physical and mental urges, physical addiction withdrawal suffering, re-establishing restful sleep patterns, and even the danger of Epileptic-like seizures. Unfortunately, I have seen all too often relapses when weaning-off methods are employed, whether there may be too much alone time opportunity for rationalizing that one harmless glass of red wine, or "how harmful could one lousy bottle of beer be?

Throughout a 50 year every day drinking career, beginning at just 16, (I hung with an older intellectual and hard-drinking crowd in the mid sixties) there were many occasional cold-turkey month or two cleaning out periods, that never were attempts at quitting permanently. Just giving my body a short, well earned respite. Consequently, I grew to be aware and prepared for the first day, second, third,etc., and just gritted my teeth through them.

When PN finally took an unbearable stage in it's hold on me at age 66, My doc gave me the final kick that inside I knew was already overdue. Due to the frequency of the aforementioned seizures that were documented diagnosed as due to cold-turkey cessation, it became medically advisable to prescribe a 10 day regimen of Librium to stave off such possibilities. I went that route and can speak with some experienced authority that it made all the difference in the world. Some of the suffering I was used to were either eliminated completely, or greatly reduced.

If you are truly serious about total cessation on a road back toward good physical health, I would strongly recommend this approach--but only if you are mentally ready for full commitment, as it's doubtful your physician would repeat the regimen risking a trade of a new addiction for an old one.

Whichever path you choose, I know we all wish you the best of luck.