Guys, when your sweetheart says "No thanks" to sex, do you knock back a few stiff drinks to feel better? You're not alone: Fruit flies do the same thing.

That's the word from a new study that may explain why you both react that way.

Scientists describe in Friday's issue of the journal Science how they prevented male fruit flies from having sex and then tested their preferences for alcohol. Sure enough, those flies showed much more interest in booze than did other male flies that had mated successfully.

The scientists found evidence that a particular substance in the brain may help explain this. Further research may shed light on the biology of alcohol abuse and, someday, it might help lead to treatments.