Charles Steel began working with people with alcohol and drug problems in 1972 as a volunteer with the Simon Community in a Glasgow night Shelter for homeless men.


After studying Theology for 3 years and being a founding member of the Stauros Foundation, he was employed by this organisation to establish groups to work with people with addictions and their families. Following Charles's ordination in 1984, He worked with people in socially challenged areas, again working primarily with addictions. He spent some time working for the Church of Scotland, Social Responsibilities Department, deputising and counselling in residential units around Scotland.

Charles then worked for Strathclyde Regional Council, Social Work Department as an Addictions Officer in the early days of harm reduction. He was trained and worked as an addiction counsellor with an ongoing caseload. In 1999 Charles was employed by Alcoholics Anonymous to establish, manage and administrate the A.A. Scottish Service Office working with five Regions, twenty eight Intergroups, and almost one thousand groups. He worked with the public, the professional communities and often deputised for the General Secretary.

Charles was invited to join the Scottish Ministerial Advisory Committee on Alcohol Problems at it's inception in 2000 and has served for the past ten years (Mind The Gaps, report). He has worked in a voluntary advisory capacity over the past decade with the Health Technology Board for Scotland, The Public Health Institute for Scotland (Alcohol And Ageing, report), the Scottish Prison Service and various other national, regional and local initiatives.

In the past few years Charles have been a member of the Addaction Council for Scotland. He was Chairman of the Board of CAN (Community Ability Network, Edinburgh), a disability advocacy service. Currently a visiting Lecturer in addiction at Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh and a member of Queen Margaret University Alcohol Evidence and Research Group.

Earlier this year Charles was invited to become a Trustee of Smart Recovery UK (SRUK) with a remit to help the organisation through a difficult transitionary period. As a volunteer, he facilitates a group in Craigmillar under the aegis of CAN (Discover Recovery) for people with alcohol and drug issues who are considering Recovery. Charles continues to mentor people in recovery as he has done for 38 years.