Each year over 3 million people die due to alcohol-related causes. To put that in perspective, that’s a whopping 5.9 percent of all deaths worldwide. Meanwhile, countless others endure the adverse health effects of alcohol use. Unfortunately, current psychological and pharmacological treatments for alcohol-use disorders are only marginally better than a placebo in reducing intake.
Imagine, then, if problem drinkers could be given a pill that makes them less likely to drink, less intoxicated if they do drink, and more capable of enduring the potentially life-threatening alcohol withdrawal syndrome that emerges shortly after going “cold-turkey.”
Recent research exploring interactions between the neuropeptide oxytocin and alcohol gives some grounds for hope that such a pill might one day exist.
Oxytocin is sometimes referred to as the “love hormone“ or ”cuddle hormone.” It has a high profile in popular culture due to its role in promoting sociability and long-term bonding. Numerous human studies, often involving nasal puffs of oxytocin, show various prosocial effects.
Oxytocin is also known to interact with alcohol. In the 1980s it was discovered that oxytocin can prevent the development of tolerance to alcohol’s sedative and body temperature reducing effects in rodents, and reduce the severity of alcohol withdrawal.
