Drinking to up mood tied to alcoholism, depression

People who drink to cope with the blues are more prone to becoming depressed and at greater risk of alcohol dependence, a new study shows.

The University of Southern California in Los Angeles found that drinking to manage mood was strongly inherited and accounted for basically all of the genetic and environmental influences shared by depression and alcohol dependence.

Males were more likely than females to use alcohol to manage their moods.

The relationship between self-medication with alcohol and depression also was stronger in men. This may because it's more "socially acceptable" for women to seek help for emotional problems, the researchers note.