Although self-medication with alcohol is a commonly mentioned explanation for the comorbid occurrence of mood disorders and alcohol dependence, there is relatively little data examining whether this association potentially may increase the probability of developing dependence. There is also virtually no assessment of whether it is associated with persistence of dependence in population-based samples. Consistent with some prior cross-sectional and clinical studies,31;47–49 utilizing different methodology and within select study samples, the current analyses provide evidence that self-medication of mood symptoms with alcohol is associated with both the new onset of dependence as well as the persistence of dependence over time. This association was found to be equally strong for men and women, across race-ethnicity subgroups, and among older as well as young adults. Furthermore, the findings indicate that even among individuals who have some mood symptoms but who do not meet full criteria for a mood disorder, self-medication by drinking may put them at a similar potential risk for dependence as was found for those with more severe mood conditions such as bipolar disorder or major depression.
