Im really struggling with the pronunciation of most Thai words, I just simply can't seem to grasp how to say most words without having to repeat them 2 or 3 times before someone understands. However I find Lao much easier for some reason, so I'm thinking of going to lessons for maybe a year or so. As many Thais speak and understand Lao would you think this is a good idea or should I keep trying with my Thai?

Im really struggling with the pronunciation of most Thai words, I just simply can't seem to grasp how to say most words without having to repeat them 2 or 3 times before someone understands. However I find Lao much easier for some reason, so I'm thinking of going to lessons for maybe a year or so. As many Thais speak and understand Lao would you think this is a good idea or should I keep trying with my Thai?

I would just study the language of the place you live most of your time and focus on that. Not all BKK Thais are good at understanding Lao.

There are surely many words in Lao which have similar Thai counterparts.

From these, you could examine why your pronunciation of the Lao word is okay, but that of the similar Thai word is not. Then you may understand how you need to adjust your pronunciation to speak more accurate Thai.