Divabetic Inspiration: Charlie Wilson

The pandemic has taken a toll on us in so many ways. The stress, anxiety, and financial challenges can lead us to feel isolated and lonely and can have adverse effects on our diabetes wellness. Unfortunately, millions are turning to substances to help them cope. One particular concern is the rising rate of opioid addiction and related deaths.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, as of June 2020, 13% of Americans reported starting or increasing substance use as a way of coping with stress or emotions related to COVID-19. Overdoses have also spiked since the onset of the pandemic.

If you need some inspiration to stay on track with your diabetes self-care goals, look no further than R & B legend, Charlie Wilson. He’s not living with diabetes but his remarkable true story of overcoming addiction serves as a powerful testament to the human spirit.

“I hope my own endurance, even during these uncertain times, will be an inspiration for others to have faith and stay hopeful,” says Charlie Wilson told PEOPLE magazine. “This is a season which too shall pass.”

Singer, songwriter, and the former lead vocalist of the Gap Band, Charlie Wilson has been clean and sober for the past two decades. Currently, on tour, he talks openly on stage about his long descent into cocaine, alcohol, and crack cocaine addiction. He ended up homeless, for several years, on the streets of Los Angeles.

“I had sunk so low that people said: ‘He’s done. He’s not coming back. He’s going to end up dead.’ And I started believing it myself,” Wilson said on tour.

He credits his faith, his wife, Mahin, and his cousin, Shirley — a former addict who inspired him to enter rehab — for turning his life around.

As a solo artist Charlie Wilson has been nominated for 13 Grammy awards and 11 NAACP Image Awards (including two wins), received a 2009 Soul Train Icon Award and was a recipient of a BMI Icon Award in 2005. In 2009 and 2020, he was named Billboard magazine’s No. 1 Adult R&B Artist, and his song “There Goes My Baby” was named the No. 1 Urban Adult Song for 2009 in Billboard Magazine.

“An addiction is an addiction,” Wilson said. “It can overpower you, (no) matter what lifestyle you have. I’m glad I’m still alive to be able to testify to people.”

Music legend Smokey Robinson teamed up with Charlie Wilson on last year’s Mother’s Day anthem, “On All Of My Love”.

“Working with Smokey fulfilled a lifelong dream of mine,” Charlie Wilson told PEOPLE magazine.

We’re celebrating Mother’s Day in a big way at Divabetic. Join us for our upcoming Baking Party on Zoom in April.

Looking for a fun way to socialize without putting your diabetes wellness at risk? Do you need a little help staying on track with your diabetes self-care?

Back by popular demand! The happy healthcare host, Mr. Divabetic, hosts this free, fun Virtual Mother’s Day-themed Baking Party with special guests, Stacey Harris, aka The Diabetic Pastry Chef and Divabetic Image & Style Advisor Catherine Schuller, on Thursday, April 28, 2022, 7 – 8:30 PM, EST on Zoom.

Win gifts courtesy of Arthel Neville Design FABULOUS East/West Tote, Dr. Remedy’s Enriched Nail Care gift set, Best-Selling Author Tonya Kappes‘s Camper Cozy Mystery, Walden Farms Zero Calories, Zero Net Carbs Salad Dressings, and Peak 10 Skin’s Save My Sole Foot Rescue Cream during Mr. Divabetic’s random drawings. You must be present at our Baking Party to enter our gift drawings to win.

Over 150 people registered for our last Divabetic Baking Party on Zoom, so don’t miss out!