Welcome PoppyPiper!
One- if you think that's long, you've never read some of my posts. Your post is about half the size of my normal posts. So you're fine.
Two- I didn't quite catch exactly how much you're drinking on a nightly basis or how exactly long you feel you've been dependent on it. It doesn't sound like it's so extreme that you're going to physically have a nightmare when you stop. Don't take that as unquestionable truth, though. Seriously, don't. That's my assessment based on almost nothing, but I don't know much about anything anymore. I could be extremely wrong. I am not a doctor. I am not giving you medical advice. Everyone's bodies are different. As others said, doctor's supervision is always the safest way to go.
That said, while most will poo poo the idea of tapering, I'd say it works, to a very specific extent. If you're serious about wanting to quit or are genuinely toying with that idea, give weaning a try. I found that it really helped put my mind at ease. It felt like I was in control, and it felt like I was being proactive about preventing any nasty WD symptoms I might have had. As I got lower and lower (though still drinking substantially), and I saw that my body wasn't reacting negatively, I just quit cold turkey. I never really got to the point where I had it down to one drink a day, because then it's just silly. I quit before that point.
Just make sure you don't extend the process out any longer than it needs to be. Then you're just asking for trouble and are making excuses to continue drinking. That's what I found, anyway. If you can eliminate a drink or two without issues (or skip a day or two), move on to eliminating another drink or two as quickly as possible (or skip more days). Then once you're drinking an insubstantial amount, just stop completely. The whole goal of weaning is to eventually go cold turkey. The caveat here is that I relapsed, and I'm only a few days sober at the point. This past time I didn't wean off, but the first time I quit and lasted for several months, I weaned to give myself a better state of mind, and it worked out well for me. If I would have been more proactive about my recovery, I'd probably had stayed sober.
You'll hear people say it's pointless and stupid, because it actually is. Either cold turkey or detox. Those really are the best options, depending on the state of your problem. But if it makes you feel safer and more calculated (like it did for me), by all means, go for it, as long as your goal is to get to cessation as quickly as possible. Not two months from now. Like, a week and a half at most. You seem intelligent, and it seems like you're the sort of person who could handle this. It sounds like it's not entirely out of your control yet.
If you have any serious WD symptoms at any point, obviously stop and go to a doctor immediately. If you start using "tapering" as an excuse to keep drinking, you need to recognize it's not working and try a different approach. I know what I'm saying will be seen as extremely questionable from others in the forum, but I'm speaking from experience as someone who wanted to quit early on in the process like you, before it got really bad.
I didn't really have any negative side effects other than weight gain and financial trouble, either. But after I started drinking again, it got worse. You're damaging your liver by drinking toxic poison every night. Your children should be your reason to stop. If you keep damaging your liver every single night, your days become more and more limited. Do it for the kids, as they say. Just like you did (I presume, without problems) when you were pregnant. Wish you the best of luck! Keep us updated!