Numerous researchers have identified the disposition to drink alcohol to cope with psychological distress as one of the most predictive elements of problematic patterns of alcohol use. Affect regulation and social learning models posit that psychological distress increases an individual's motivation to drink alcohol for relief, particularly among individuals who lack alternative coping strategies to deal with distress. Although prior research supports these theoretical contentions, evidence is mixed and the interaction between psychological distress and coping strategies in predicting individuals' motivation to drink alcohol is unclear. As such, the purpose of the current study was two-fold: (a) to examine the direct effects of multiple measures of psychological distress and coping strategies on the disposition to use alcohol to cope; and (b) to explore the interactive or moderating role of coping strategies between psychological distress and the use of alcohol to cope. Participants (N = 519) included introductory-level college students (females, n = 266; males, n = 253) that, according to empirical research, are believed to be particularly vulnerable to distress and alcohol misuse. A self-report, cross-sectional design was employed with participants completing previously validated measures of psychological distress (e.g., depression, anxiety, stress), dispositional coping strategies (e.g., problem-focused, emotion-focused, support seeking), and the tendency to drink alcohol to cope with distress. Stepwise regression with interaction terms was used to determine the relative contributions of demographic variables, psychological distress, and coping strategies in the prediction of drinking alcohol to cope. No interaction terms reached significance and only three of the independent variables contributed significantly to the prediction of drinking alcohol to cope: gender, depression, and problem-focused coping. The results suggest that heightened symptoms of depression and deficits in problem-focused coping may convey important predictive and diagnostic information for identifying college students, particularly males, at risk for drinking alcohol to cope. Consequently, intervention efforts that employ a dual-process approach to reduce symptoms of depression and to increase problem-focused coping may result in decreases in drinking alcohol to cope in college populations.Keyword(s): college level issues, health education college/univ, health promotion