Study: Oxytocin Could Be Key to Preventing Drunkenness

A new study published in the PNAS journal revealed that oxytocin, the hormone associated with feelings of love, could lessen the effects of alcohol. 

The study was conducted by researchers at the University of Sydney in Australia. The researchers gave oxytocin and alcohol to rats and found that the rats given oxytocin did not get drunk compared to the rats that were only given alcohol. However, this only seemed to work with “moderate amounts” of alcohol; when higher doses of alcohol were given, all the rats exhibited symptoms of drunkenness, regardless of whether they received oxytocin (Wilkerson, 2015). 

Though researchers haven’t tested this theory on humans yet, it is possible that oxytocin could be effective in treating alcohol addiction and withdrawal. 

Wilkerson, M. (2015). So-called ‘love hormone’ could prevent drunkenness, study says. Retrieved from http://www.thefix.com/content/so-called-%27love-hormone%27-could-prevent-drunkenness-study-says