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Astrology and Addiction

Aiding the Road to Recovery

Addiction can come in many forms, and we are all susceptible to succumbing to one or another. Often, it's not until we are firmly held by an addiction that we become aware of the problem, whether it's drugs, alcoholism, gambling, or food.
If left unchecked, an addiction can cause us to become alienated from friends, family, lose our job and put us in the path of serious health and financial problems in the future.
Early Warning Signs
Recognizing whether we are likely to fall prey to addiction in our lives is something that interests a wide variety of disciplines from science, to spirituality and astrology.
All have different methods of identifying potential addictions for an individual later in life, and in astrology, general consensus is that the reading of the birth chart often gives the astrologer an insight as to whether the subject will be likely to suffer from an addiction in their lives.
By looking out for warning signs in the form of strong influences of Jupiter and Neptune in a birth chart (Jupiter representing hedonism, and Neptune intoxication and illusion), an astrologer can be fairly sure that addiction will be a problem in life for the person they are reading.
This can serve as a positive force for the person in question, as they have the knowledge that the possibility of addiction exists for them, and may be able to act accordingly to keep it at bay.
Difficulties in Identifying an Addiction
While any foresight that astrology can bring will be helpful, the difficulty comes from knowing what the nature of the addiction might be. When we use the word 'addiction', most of us will immediately think of drugs, alcohol of any of the other examples given above.
This can be a problem, because broadly applied, 'addiction' can refer to anything that starts to become the main focus of a person's life at the detriment of everything else. Being addicted to sugar or coffee, or watching TV are just as real as the person addicted to heroin, but far less detrimental to our health.
Is it possible for astrology to be more exacting in identifying, and helping to prevent, the more harmful addictions a person may face, and where is it appropriate to worry about signs of addiction in a birth chart?

Responsible Astrology

As Hilary Young, CEO of dating.com implies, the answer to this question will be something individual astrologers will need to decide themselves while keeping an open mind. Many of us have Neptune and Jupiter crossing our charts in some capacity, but not not all of us are 'addicts' in the sense of using drugs or alcohol. It is important therefore, to remain open to other possibilities, and not sound alarm bells unnecessarily.

Astrologers are in a unique position then, because having insight into the possible events of others lives also grants the ability to give helpful nudges along the way, if needed. This is especially true when giving private readings, as the better known a person is, the better astrology can be used to guide and help.

A private reading may be given, for example, to Dave by his astrologer Claire. Because Dave has been going to Claire for readings for a few years, they know each other quite well, and Claire knows that Dave is a keen extreme sportsman. It may have been the case that Dave's birth chart showed all the signs of an addiction, but because Claire knows that Dave is an adrenaline junkie, it seems likely that this is the 'addiction' manifestation predicted by the birth chart reading.

In this kind of situation, then the 'addiction' that was clear in the birth chart is not necessarily a negative one. The same can be applied to many aspects of our lives, and as Hilary Young states, caution needs to be applied when interpreting signs for addiction in birth charts.

Helping Addicts through Astrology

It may be the case that an addict will go to their astrologer for guidance and help on beating their addiction, and this puts the astrologer in a position to have a very positive impact on their battle - being careful to highlight the positive aspects of their horoscope and planetary forces that might point to success.

It can, of course, be helpful to the astrologer and addict if they are aware of any possible future addictions that may be more likely to take hold based on their star sign. This can also help potentially identify problem areas for the astrologer, as long as they bear in the mind the difficulties that can be inherent in trying to predict an addiction accurately, as Hilary Young has pointed out. However, many serious addictions, especially drugs and alcohol, will require a lot of time effort and help to beat, so astrologers should always try to refer clients to as many other sources of help as they can, such as Virginia alcoholism treatment centers or local drug rehabilitation clinics.

While astrology may not hold all the answers when it comes to recognizing a dangerous addiction or helping to beat it, it can certainly be a part of the force for good, and work in tandem with other kinds of help for addicts. Overall, astrology can be a valuable part of a wider addiction support structure, and aid the road to recovery.