We talk with Pamela Karanova of Adoptee in Recovery, a fellow adoptee who’ll be sharing her story with us. We talk about her search, a brief reunion, her struggle with alcohol addiction and recovery, and some surprising connections she’s made with extended bio family members through DNA testing. We also discuss some issues about Christianity and adoption.

Show Notes

Full episode transcript here.

Topics We Discussed

Finding out she was adopted at age 5
Fantasizing about birthmother returning to take her home
1970s - adoptive parents instructed not to talk about adoption/adoptee issues
An adopted sister who was less interested in adoption
Adoptive parents divorced one year after her adoption
Began drinking at age 12
Turned 21 (had her first baby), desire to find her birthmother
Phoning her birthmother for the first time
Meeting her half sister, and her birthmother in person
Going to her birthmother's funeral and not being acknowledged
Finding out she was the product of an affair with a married man
Finding her birthfather and a wild drive to knock on his door
Discovering both of her birthparents were alcoholics; deciding to go to Celebrate Recovery
Journey to sobriety; finding common roots of addiction in rejection and abandonment
Finding her hope and healing in God; writing her blog and managing the FB group, How Does it Feel to Be Adopted; therapy
Losing her connection with her biological sister (who also relinquished a child)
DNA testing and connecting with a cousin
Deciding whether or not to meet her paternal grandmother
Discussing the church's relationship with adoption
Words of advice for adoptive parents