I've wondered if my neuropathy is from drinking. I've had a zillion tests and they haven't found a cause. Yet one neurologist was thinking out loud, ruling in or out various causes, and he didn't think mine was from alcohol (though I don't recall his reasoning). If you aren't getting the information or testing you need from your neurologist, find another neurologist. A lot of insurance companies will support getting a second opinion, or just finding another doctor. And if they don't, the hourly rate for specialists isn't that terrible (and you're saving money now by not drinking).

There's an interesting article in Wikipedia on Alcoholic Polyneuropathy that makes me ask a couple of questions. Are your symptoms symmetrical, or not differing much from side to side? Did your doctor prescribe nutritional support? Physical therapy? If this is from alcohol, symptoms should be largely symmetrical, and if your doctor made this diagnosis, he should have done B-vitamin testing and probably prescribed nutritional support.

Kudos for stopping. Especially as one advances in years, alcohol interferes with sleep, which interferes with recovery and can cause perceived pain levels to rise. For me, when I'm consuming alcohol, I overall have more symptoms. It's fun, tasty, and a nice little release, but it's also a depressant, and empty calories. And costly. Stopping is, at a minimum, a good experiment to see how your body responds (and it can take months and months for nerves to heal). I hope this resolves well and you feel better.