People who drink large amounts of alcohol every day or many days per week for weeks or months undergo chemical changes in their brains. They continue to drink frequently and heavily because, even though they may know drinking is not good for their health, they experience unpleasant symptoms if they stop or decrease drinking. Those symptoms can include increased anxiety, difficulty sleeping, difficulty tolerating stress, mild to moderate withdrawal symptoms such as tremors, nausea, feeling sweaty and/or headaches, and cravings to drink. Studies found that giving oxytocin to alcohol-addicted animals reduced symptoms when they were put into alcohol withdrawal. A pilot study conducted at UNC found that twice daily intranasal doses of oxytocin decreased withdrawal symptoms in heavy drinkers who were admitted to a hospital for medical detoxification to come off alcohol.