Hi all.
Firstly, happy new year to you and all other members.
About the cold sensation in your feet, I too get it, even as we speak. It doesn't matter what the weather, I think it is part and parcel of the numbness etc; I've been 55 days sober as of today, (christmas has been easier than I thought), and I haven't noticed any improvement, or worsening of the pain. My GP has put me on 10mg Amitriptyline, one a day, but I am only 10 days in, so haven't really noticed any difference. One thing that the Doc said that did resonate with me was that none of it will ever be cured, but it's progression may be slowed. I suppose only time will tell.
Ironic event of the year? An Alcohol support worker turning up at my home, at 44 days sober, (and after countless referrals), offering me a place in a detox and rehab center, which I have been asking, or rather begging for, for months.
On the bright side, it's a new year, and it will turn out as good as I want it to be.
Hard graft and faith in ourselves is all we can do.

Oh dear! Having done the same myself on numerous occasions, I know the frustration! One thing it has taught me, the right click mouse and copy button!

I would post my "friend" but her before and after pics look the same as she only has 6 months of sobriety. FYI, your "friends" are hotties!

Computer, I am confused. Is this a job offer or for treatment?

I usually do two things when composing a long post: press Control-A (Windows, not sure what the equivalent in OSX is) and then Control-C. This selects all and copies it into memory. Then I do a Preview Post. The preview is a "second copy". If it gets very long I paste the text into Notepad or Word before hitting Preview Post.

vBulletin works great most of the time, but it's easy to press a wrong button (like backspace...) and lose your complete post. Hence me taking precautions.

Of course, completely forgetting to hit "Submit Reply" and then go to sleep and turn off computer will not help at all LOL. Ahem.

It worked for me, but had too many side effects in the end. (like waiting 5 minutes to start to pee... , weight gain, and blurry vision). But we are all different, so you may be luckier. It's a very old and well known med - as in *really old* so all the effects are known and there are no surprises anymore.

You need to give it a month at least, and maybe see if you need to up the dose slowly until it starts to really work. (ask GP I mean!) I forgot how much I took in the end, but it was much more than 10mg.

Edit: right, found an old stash. I worked up from 10 to 50mg IIRC. Of course, the higher the dose, the more chance for annoying side effects. And as always with these: don't just stop, but ask for a regimen to go off them gradually.

As to long posts I have decided just to Keep It Simple and sweet. As to the amitriptyline I tried that with Gab but did not continue or do the follow up as I was actively drinking and got no relief. (dah). I suspect I will need revisit the drug therapy. I had hoped in abstinence I would have gotten some relief but none so far.

I'll just keep reminding you that I felt at my worst after 8 months sober, pain wise. When I was still drinking, I only felt pain until the first 3 whiskies were downed...

So, if you are saying "it's not better", that would mean it didn't get worse when you stopped drinking. That's a very good thing. I know it sounds boring or even "there he goes again ", but remember that the pictures of our friends above were after 5 and 6 years, and I still need medication to control my PN. It's nowhere near as bad as after 8 months, but it certainly is not gone, nor do I think it ever completely will. You will find a balance after a while between taking (some) medication, and living with a degree of discomfort (well, ... pain) that you can manage and won't bother you too much in your daily life.

We humans are flexible. There are athletes without legs who run 100 meters. It's about adapting and accepting that things have changed, and then to make the best of it, and even be proud that you manage after a while. Keep doing what you are doing (staying sober, looking for solutions), you will get there too.

Never gets boring and those are the words I love to hear again and again. I made my New Years resolutions. Where I have failed in the past is expecting too much.

I wouldn't call it failure - that's too hard on yourself. It's very normal to expect/hope for a swift recovery. I mean, "I did a huge thing, I stopped drinking, I deserve at least some relief." Been there too. So, no, not a failure, just (indeed) over-expectations, impatience, which, funnily enough, makes things worse - as it adds to the stress levels. Adjusting expectations, and being glad with each little step forward, each bit of understanding, is key. And that takes time, there are no shortcuts (sadly).

Sure, I have pain, still. (but not too much to stop me from doing things. Many, many things.). Probably for life. But... I am soooooooo much happier now than I was 6 years ago, feeling so relieved, it should almost be illegal. A bit like my friend on those pictures!