Dopey 534: Abby Fickley Returns + Rest in Peace Ray the Clammer; Motherhood, Relapse, Internet Backlash… and 40 Years of Clamming, Cocaine, and Redemption
Episode Notes!
DOPEYWOOD COMING!
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ABBEY:
Postpartum anxiety and getting prescribed benzos
Her first time using heroin — in sober living
Moving back to Pittsburgh with her dad to get her life together
Building a YouTube following with her daughter Myla
Dealing with fame, trolls, and the dark side of "sober influencer" culture
Why she stopped posting her daughter online
Setting boundaries in co-parenting
The emotional side of recovery, relapse, and internet backlash
Her evolving relationship with recovery, privacy, and motherhood
🦪 Part 2: Ray the Clammer – A Tribute
Growing up on the South Shore, catching clams with his feet
First time freebasing: “My heart exploded. I fell to my knees. It was great.”
Ten years of coke dealing, freebasing, and losing everything
Smoking away all the product, burning bridges, losing his union job
Homeless in NYC, sleeping under Port Authority, working “security” for a pimp named Otis
Suicidal thoughts in the subway tunnels
The moment he didn't jump, and got back on the train to Long Island
Brought home by police as a missing person
Finds NA, relapses, gets honest — and stays sober from 1993 until his death
Devoted to service: rides, hotlines, detox speaking, always showing up
Passed away with 30 years clean — this recording was his goodbye gift to Dopey Nation
