Hang in there if your marriage is on the rocks: A new 'love drug' is on the way

Every day, thousands of marriages end in divorce. But what if there was a drug that couples could take to renew that starry-eyed, can’t-stand-to-be-away-from-you sort of feeling – rekindle the old flame?

That is precisely what Oxford ethicist Brian Earp is proposing. According to the Feb. 8, Northern Star, Earp, a pioneer in new “love drug” research suggests that “careful administration of safe levels of MDMA - the principal ingredient of the street drug ecstasy - could act as a pharmacological aid that keeps us together.”

Back in the 70s, MDMA, was used in marriage counseling; its purpose was to “boost empathy.” Today, MDMA (chemical name - methylenedioxy methylamphetamine) is illegal.

Psychologist Leo Zeff nicknamed the drug "Adam" because “he felt it transported his patients to an Eden-like state of untarnished consciousness.”

"If love drugs ever become safely and cheaply available; if they could be shown to improve love, commitment, and marital well-being - and thereby lessen the chance (or the need) for divorce; if other interventions had been tried and failed; and if side-effects or other complications could be minimized, then we think that some couples might have an obligation to give them a try," Earp said.

As long as the relationship is not abusive, “love drugs” could be a viable solution to dodge divorce.

Do you feel the honeymoon is over, or feel your marriage is on a slippery slope?

Well, hang in there. A new “love drug” is on the way; one that may be able to put the two of you back on track!

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, Sacramento Health News Examiner

W. Mark Dendy holds a B.S. in biological sciences from California State University, Sacramento and an M.S. in life sciences from the University of Maryland. He is a marine biologist that has studied California sea lions in the Sacramento delta. He is a former adjunct professor of biology and...

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