EP 179: Why Do Adoptees Struggle With Addiction? | Lisa Coppola

This is where adoption, attachment, and addiction meet. An early attachment rupture leaves the nervous system braced and hypervigilant. A substance can feel like the first relief from that noise. Drawing on her own recovery, Lisa Coppola names the four hidden losses adoptees carry. She shares why recovery asks for more than abstinence. It asks for safe connection.

➡️ Full show notes: https://www.biologyoftrauma.com/post/adoption-attachment-and-addiction-why-adoptees-struggle-and-what-recovery-really-ask

In This Episode You'll Learn:

• 01:27 — What is the connection between attachment rupture and addiction?
• 07:28 — What do adoptees describe when a substance finally quiets the noise?
• 09:51 — The first loss: what is the loss of history?
• 11:34 — The second loss: why does the loss of trust live in the body?
• 14:07 — The third loss: how does early separation affect physical health?
• 16:24 — Is adoption at birth really a "safe window" for the baby?
• 20:20 — The fourth loss: what is the loss of self through disenfranchised grief?
• 22:37— Why does healing in recovery come from connection?
• 29:55 — What can happen when an adoptee reunites with biological family?
• 33:42 — What safeguards an adoptee from relapse in the hardest moments?
• 37:00 — What final message matters most for adoptees and attachment trauma?

Resources/Guides:

• Stress or Trauma? Read What Your Body Is Running (free): a Biology of Trauma® guide to recognize whether your nervous system is running a stress response or a trauma response, and the sequence it needs next.

➡️ Full show notes with links and resources: https://www.biologyoftrauma.com/post/adoption-attachment-and-addiction-why-adoptees-struggle-and-what-recovery-really-ask