Uc Science Today

What’s the best way to treat people suffering from substance abuse? Jennifer Mitchell, a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, has been studying the hormone oxytocin as a possible cure for addictions, due to its ability to reduce stress, anxiety and social discomfort. “By enabling people to make better social connections and by attenuating the craving for that other substance or act, or giving them a better set of tools with which to embark on this road to recovery, and it is not that it is to say that it is like a panacea: you are going to take a little intranasal oxytocin and everything is going to be perfect, but perhaps it could be one of many tools that people use to get better and get back into a healthy life style.” Mitchell says oxytocin could be a substitute for those self-medicating with alcohol, opioids or even gambling. “Whether or not it is related to depression or stress or anxiety or PTSD, the bottom line is they are experiencing the state of despair.” Mitchel