ance coping have been shown to display pathological drinking behavior much more than those who utilize approach coping (Cooper, Russell, & George, 1988; Cooper et al. , 1992). Those who typically resort to avoidance coping (a group which consists of up to 25% of all drinkers), report that they do so in order to regulate negative emotions (Cahalan, Cisin, & Crossley, 1969; Mullford & Miller, 1963; Polich & Orvis, 1979). The strongest evidence to support this contention comes from studies which have investigated post-treatment relapse in alcoholics. In three such studies (Marlatt, & Gordon, 1979; Moos et al. , 1981; Moos, Finney, & Gamble, 1982), it was found that individuals were more likely to relapse in situations which elicited unpleasant emotional states.Coping as a Moderating Factor of StressThe key to understanding the differential impact of avoidance and approach coping on drinking lies in the availability of an effective coping response to a given stressor (Cooper et al. , 1992). By definition, people who utilize approach coping mechanisms to deal with their stress, engage in concrete problem solving which serves to actively reduce the amount of stress. By contrast, people who rely on avoidance coping may manage to reduce their distress, but they tend to do so by distracting themselves from the stress. Therefore, it is not surprising that drinking should appeal more to those who predominately use avoidance coping, because the consumption of alcohol serves as a substitute action which can distract from the stress. When viewed from a social learning perspective (Abrams & Niaura, 1987), it can be seen that "alcohol use serves as a general coping mechanism invoked when other presumably more effective coping responses are unavailable" (Cooper et al. , 1992; P. 140). Evidence to support this idea comes from studies (i.e., Higgins & Marlatt, 1975; Hull & young 1983; Marlatt, Kosturn, & Lang, 1975) which have investigated drinking in res...
