Co-parenting with an addict: divorce & raising a son w/ autism ft Laura Clery
July 15, 2026
AI Summary
5 min readCo-parenting with an addict: divorce & raising a son w/ autism ft Laura Clery
Laura Clery's son Alfie, diagnosed with level three severe autism just before age two, was told he might never speak or be independent. At six years old, he walked 1.4 miles alone to a grocery store to buy candy. When Clery called 911 in a panic, the police already had him — he'd manually opened the locked gate, crossed busy streets, and was standing at the Ralphs' checkout with a box of Sour Patch Kids and the biggest smile on his face. "Dude was cooking," Clery says. That eloping incident — the term for when autistic children wander off on a mission — is one of many that have shaped her life as a single mother navigating divorce, addiction recovery, and raising a neurodivergent child.
The addiction mechanism and 15 years of sobriety
Clery has been sober from all drugs and alcohol for 15 years. She walked into a recovery room at 19 after recognizing she couldn't drink like her friends — "when I had one, I would want more and more and then I would want drugs." Her bottom was internal: she realized she'd never become who she wanted to be if she didn't stop.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (01:24) **Trigger Warning & Introduction to Laura Clery** - A content warning is issued for themes of abuse, suicidal ideation, and drug use, followed by a brief bio of the guest, Laura Clery.
- 2 (03:58) **Raising a Non-Verbal Son with Level 3 Autism** - Laura describes her son Alfie’s diagnosis and the challenges of raising a child who doesn’t sense danger.
- 3 (08:28) **The Eloping Crisis: A 1.4 Mile Walk for Candy** - Laura details a harrowing incident where her non-verbal son escaped and walked to a grocery store alone.
- 4 (11:45) **Early Warning Signs and Diagnosis of Autism** - Laura identifies the specific developmental red flags that led to her son’s early autism diagnosis.
- 5 (16:14) **From Addiction to 15 Years of Sobriety** - Laura shares her personal history of drug and alcohol addiction and the journey to getting sober.
- 6 (20:03) **Misconceptions About Addiction and the Role of Resentment** - Laura clarifies what addiction is and introduces a core concept from her recovery program.
- 7 (27:25) **Crash Course on the 12-Step Program** - Laura gives a concise overview of the spiritual principles she learned in AA.
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Show Notes
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