This paper examines self-reported reasons for substance use in a cross-sectional sample of university students, and investigates the relationship of these reasons for use to psychopathology, coping strategies, and to drug and alcohol consumption. A model of substance use, which hypothesizes that reasons for use and coping strategies mediate the link between psychopathology and substance use, is proposed and is tested and refined using structural equation modeling. Results confirm that substance use is related to psychopathology and that the relationship is partially mediated by reasons for substance use and coping; specifically, dysfunctional coping. These findings suggest that interventions that emphasize the use of different, more adaptive coping strategies to cope with negative states could potentially help substance users with and without significant psychopathology to abstain from or reduce their substance use.