A new study hasfound that Oxytoxin, a “love hormone” may
be the hope of finding a new heroin
addiction treatment. A study initiated by the University of Adelaide has
shown that love and affection during childhood, could play a significant role
in drug addiction.
Oxytoxin, a naturally-occurring hormone that is
responsible for the feeling of maternal, social interaction and partnership is
present at different levels in humans. Its development is not fully finished
until the child reachesthe age of three.
With the hope of finding a new heroin addiction treatment,
the doctors looked into how oxytocin and addiction are related. The team of
researchers found that a number of risk factors for drug addiction can be
traced with children as early as four years of age.
“Previous research has shown that there is a high degree
of variability in people’s oxytocin levels,” Dr. Femke Buisman-Pijlman from the
University of Adelaide’s School of Medical Sciences said. “We’re interested in
how and why people have such differences in oxytocin.”
Findings:
Numerous researches have been done to seek a heroin addiction cure, and one of
the possibilities is the use of the love hormone.The lead author
Buisman-Pijlman found that during the stress and times of drug addiction, oxytocin
can be greatly affected. This risk factor was evident even at the early age of
four.
The team has found that adults with addictive behaviors
have not fully developed their oxytocin levels during the early stage of life. They
believe that the love hormone could be a mere hope of heroin addiction treatment as it can reduce the pleasurable effect
of heroin to the brain.
For someone who has not developed their oxytocin system
enough during the early years, they could feel more drug cravings and euphoria
with drugs. For this result, it could be concluded that they are more
susceptible to develop an addiction.
Buisman-Pijlman noted that development of oxytocin system
is affected by the exposure of a child to stress, abuse, severe infection or
deprivation early in life. She explained that understanding the role of
oxytocin could make way to find a treatment for drug addiction, such as heroin addiction treatment and even
prevention.
Although different factors can lead to substance abuse
such as environmental, genetics, mental illness and peer pressure, it is good
to open the possibilities of finding a treatment for heroin addiction through
the use of the love hormone.
Although it is not yet proven that oxytocin could be
really introduced as a heroin addiction treatment,
the study has given information on parents on the importance of love,
respect, safety and stability in raising their children.
