New research from the University of Southern California suggests that people who drink as a coping mechanism have a greater risk of becoming dependent on alcohol and are more prone to depression, Reuters reported May 12.

Researcher Kelly Young-Wolff and colleagues looked at over 5,000 twins over the age of 30 and found that drinking to manage mood tended to be an inherited behavior. The researchers said that male subjects were more likely than females to use alcohol to handle their moods, and that men who drank when they felt 'down' also were more likely to be depressed.

"We would suggest that occasional use of alcohol to relax or unwind is not necessarily a bad idea," the researchers said. "What should be avoided is heavy drinking as a regular coping strategy, since this can lead to other problems and is often a means of avoiding dealing with the issues that are contributing to the negative emotions."

The findings were published online May 4, 2009 in the journal Alcoholism: Clinical & Experimental Research.