time on medication vs hyperbolic taper

I was on 5mg of Lexapro June 19 to July 24 and was emotionally blunted, went to 2.5mg July 25 to August 6, and felt happier. I went to 1.5mg on August 7th and messed up and had a few beers the weekend of August 9-10 because I was feeling like my old self. Experienced a wave of depressed mood the following Wednesday to Sunday and then I held at this dose another 2 weeks, so 3 weeks total at 1.5mg and was feeling good. I went to 1mg August 29th and felt fine and since Monday was a holiday and I was feeling good after 8-9 days, I went to 0.75mg on Monday September 7th and instantly felt a sense of dread and it did not let up for 8 days, and on September 16th I went back to 1mg. I have been back at 1mg now for 15 days and it took about 8-9 days to get back to feeling about 80% as good as I did at 1mg before I dropped to 0.75mg. I am planning on holding at one for at least another 2 weeks before starting the taper again. My main concern is that I have been on the medication now about 15 weeks total and only 5 weeks at 5mg and if I do the hyperbolic taper of 10% of the previous dose, I am looking at 16 months of taper and I have already tapered 2.5 months already, so I am looking at 1.5years to get off 5mg of Lexapro for 5 weeks. Please tell me that there is a better way for someone who has only been on the medication such a short time.