After consent is obtained, subjects will be randomly assigned to a treatment group (oxytocin or placebo). Prior to receiving their first intranasal treatment, an ECG will be obtained and blood drawn to obtain serum for assay of cytokine and allopregnanolone concentrations. Subjects also will rate their symptoms using the Alcohol Withdrawal Symptom Checklist (AWSC, Pittman et al 2007) prior to receiving their first test dose. These procedures will be done/overseen by research nurses or physicians. Subjects will usually receive their first intranasal test dose between 1000 and 1200 hours and will consist of 6 insufflations of Syntocinon Spray (approximately 24 IU) or placebo, with each insufflation given 30 seconds apart and alternating between nostrils. Test doses will be taken again at 1700 hr later that day (Admission Day 1) and at 0900 and 1700 hr on Admission Days 2 and 3. Oxytocin test treatments will be administered from 5 ml intranasal spray vials designed to deliver 0.1 ml metered volume per insufflation. The placebo treatments will be administered from 60 ml intranasal spray vials (each containing 30ml of solution) also designed to deliver 0.1ml metered volume per insufflation. Vials containing oxytocin and placebo spray will be blind labeled by the UNC Investigational Drug Service or the Dorothea Dix Hospital pharmacy. Research nurses or physicians will oversee subject self-administration of all intranasal test doses. After enrollment on admission day 1 and in the morning on admission days 2 and 3, subjects will be given multiple copies of the AWSC questionnaire and requested to complete one each time the unit nurses do CIWA ratings. These questionnaires will be retrieved by research staff the following morning. Shortly after the morning test dose on admission days 2 and 3, subjects will complete the Alcohol Craving Visual Analog Scales (ACVAS), the Penn Alcohol Craving Scale, and the Profile of Mood States (McNair et al, 1971). On these same admission days, research nurses will also draw (and subsequently process) blood serum samples to assay cytokine and allopregnanolone concentrations shortly after the morning test dose. Additional blood will be drawn after the morning test dose on admission day 2 to obtain serum for tests to be run in McLendon Laboratories (magnesium, chloride, calcium, sodium, potassium, BUN, creatinine, and liver function tests). Another electrocardiogram (ECG) will also be obtained shortly after the morning test treatment on admission day 2. Research staff will retrieve on a daily basis CIWA ratings and vital sign measurements obtained on each subject from their electronic medical record.