Disclosed are methods and compositions for treating alcohol dependence by administration to a patient of an inhibitor of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenases (11β-HSD) to modulate glucocorticoid effects. One such compound is the 11β-HSD inhibitor carbenoxolone (18β-glycyrrhetinic acid 3β-O-hemisuccinate), which has been extensively employed in the clinic for the treatment of gastritis and peptic ulcer. Carbenoxolone is active on both 11β-HSD1 and 2 isoforms. Here, carbenoxolone is surprisingly shown to reduce both baseline and excessive drinking in rats and mice. The carbenoxolone diastereomer 18α-glycyrrhetinic acid 3β-O-hemisuccinate (αCBX), which the applicants discovered to be selective for 11β-HSD2, was also effective in reducing alcohol drinking in mice. Thus, 11β-HSD inhibitors are a new class of candidate alcohol abuse medications and existing 11β-HSD inhibitor drugs may be re-purposed for alcohol abuse treatment.