Hey Adam,
Welcome to the front lines, soldier.
Nothing you say particularly surprises me. Seems like you had a very strong drinking pattern and you quit either cold turkey or very, very rapidly.
8 months is just the beginning of your healing. Your mind is absolutely devastated because not only did you remove that emotional shield but you now have to relearn to live in the real world and readjust to the fact that all your emotions feel real.
The anxiety will subside eventually but you're in for a fight. Feeling overwhelmed in large crowds (such as family gatherings) and away from your home (comfort zone) is normal, you will be battling that for some months to come.
Caffeine can aggravate the symptoms of anxiety (caffeine itself triggers fight or flight). Either drink decaf or switch to tea. You will be able to drink coffee again in due time. Here is a quick test that helped me. Does random stuff scare you? Things that you normally wouldn't even pay attention to? If you answered yes, then you're suffering from a PAWS episode. Your emotions will go up and down, be prepared that you may suffer overwhelming anxiety or even panic attacks from time to time while your mind heals.
Those will go away (unless you have underlying mental conditions).
Here is a rough timeline that I went through:
12 months into sobriety - felt much better but suffered daily low-dose anxiety and occasional uncontrolled panic attacks
24 months into sobriety - things were returning to normal. Working/keeping occupied kept me from feeling anxiety. Mostly anxiety would only creep in when I had nothing to do or I wasn't occupying my mind with things
36 months into sobriety - about 95-98% healed. Still dizzy while anxious and that rocky/boaty feeling when I am worried about something but overall back to my regular self.
I know these numbers are tough to hear but you have to soldier on and fight through this. You will feel better and you will be happy. Stay the path and don't pick up that drink.