I have no doubt that your doctor is correct.

Here is what I noticed over the festive period. I have numb feet with very mild sensation which I have grown used to and the numbness I can live with but the burning is still very much there .

I went to a few party's and participated in the holiday festivities including alcohol which for me is big irritant and lights up my PN like a xmas tree right from the very first sip. After a few the pain went but I knew I would pay for it in the morning.

Waking up my feet were on fire and felt like I had pillows strapped to my feet and no amount of meds would stop this but 2 days later it all subsided,

What I noticed was a definite increase in numbness eg I could wiggle my toes but couldn't feel them rub against each other. There was far less sensation on the soles of my feet as well and there was big weakness in my legs, very heavy and struggled with pain walking down stairs.

After my recovery I am back to normal with numbness back to better levels so my point being alcohol is an irritant that inflames the nerve endings causing further short to long term numbness so your doc is correct.

Aussie I hope you appreciate the sacrafice I have made (drinking beer) so I could help you with your question