Your not getting worse after getting sober. Getting sober is the best thing we can do for ourselves. Your pain is real. The pain is much more pronounced when we don't numb things away with alcohol and drugs. I feel your frustration and want you to know others likely share your concerns. If your pain is not responding to conservative treatment, you should get the MRI. Specifically this could help you eliminate any need for surgery if the MRI shows nothing significant. Therefore, the MRI could alleviate anxieties around potential surgical scenarios you have likely played out in your mind. If the MRI is clear of surgical concerns, the information could likely help tailor a more accurate PT therapy to treatment. If the MRI shows something that would potentially have a benefit over risk for surgery, you still have options that are nonsurgical. Healthcare specialists such as neurosurgeons do not like to operate unless they know for certain what is the pain generator and the benefits clearly outweigh the risks over alternative/conservative treatments, which you still have available to you. Good luck. Stay strong.