Labor Day weekend means three straight days of BBQs, pool parties, and cookouts — which for a lot of us also means three straight days of drinking that can spiral fast.

In this quick solo episode, Erica answers the 7 questions her coaching clients ask most before a long drinking weekend: how to avoid blacking out, how to say no without a big scene, why day drinking hits different, how to handle multiple back-to-back events, and how to actually enjoy your booze-free options instead of treating them like a consolation prize.

You'll walk away with Erica's signature PLAYER framework (Plan & prepare, Later start, Alternate, Your why, Eat & end earlier, Rest & repeat) and a real plan for making it through the long weekend — and Tuesday morning — without the guilt spiral.

Questions answered in this episode:

1. How do I enjoy the holiday weekend without blacking out?
2. How do I say no to a drink (or the fifth drink) without it becoming a whole thing?
3. What's different about day drinking vs. evening drinking?
4. How do I not use the extra day off as an excuse to start earlier and stop later?
5. What's a plan for multiple events in one weekend (BBQ, pool party, cookout) without it snowballing?
6. How do I handle the Tuesday guilt/hangover when I'm back at work?
7. What are non-alcoholic drink options that don't feel like a consolation prize?

Mentioned in this episode: Element electrolytes, White Claw, Athletic Brewing, Blue Moon Zero, Heineken Zero, Lagunitas Hop Water, Ghia, Kim Crawford (lower-alcohol wine), Aplós

Want more support going into the holiday weekend? Take the What Type of Drinker Are You? quiz, join the Drink Less Reset, or work with Erica 1:1 or in group coaching.

Have fun, be safe. 🥂 Drink on Purpose.

• 0:00 — Intro: why this episode
• 0:30 — Q1: Enjoying the weekend without blacking out (PLAYER intro)
• 2:23 — Hydration & electrolytes
• 4:48 — Eating before/during drinking
• 7:09 — Q2: Saying no without the drama
• 9:31 — Q3: Day drinking vs. evening drinking, low-ABV picks
• 11:41 — Q4: The "extra day off" trap
• 14:00 — Q5: Planning for multiple events in one weekend
• 16:23 — Q6: The Tuesday hangover/hangxiety
• 18:42 — Q7: Non-alcoholic drinks that don't feel like a downgrade
• 21:02 — How to work with Erica
• 23:24 — Outro

**As always, today's conversation is educational in nature based on personal experience and should not replace individualized medical advice from your healthcare provider.