Julien Lacroix announced on Instagram that he was becoming the spokesperson for the Le Grand Chemin centers, an organization welcoming young people aged 12 to 17 struggling with addictions. The comedian admitted that he would have needed these kinds of resources when he was a teenager.
Julien Lacroix chose a photo in which we see him trying to put his shoe back on, sitting on the ground, in a vulnerable moment dating from 2008 to announce that he is becoming spokesperson for the Grand Chemin.
“In 2020, my stay in a therapy center equipped me for the rest of my life. If today I can encourage just one teenager struggling with addiction problems to seek the help to which I was entitled, for me, it will be mission accomplished,” wrote the comedian and dad on Instagram.
In July 2020, Julien Lacroix was forced to leave public life following allegations of sexual violence perpetrated against nine women who denounced him in a newspaper investigation The duty. In a November 2022 counter-investigation of The Press and 98.5, complainants said they regretted their testimony.
The 31-year-old comedian has spoken several times about his recovery process, as well as his addiction to alcohol and drugs, on social networks, on radio and on television since.
The one who marked his two years of sobriety in July 2022 says he is proud to be part of this program that he would have liked to know when he was a teenager. He explains that he had the chance to meet the teams of “passionate and experienced” speakers from the Le Grand Chemin centers in Quebec, Montreal and Saint-Célestin. These open their doors to adolescents who have developed (or are in the process of developing) a drug addiction, gambling or cyber addiction problem.
“Over the next few months, I will meet these young people who will all make me think of the 16-year-old Julien who would have benefited from seeking help too,” notes the comedian.
Similar life paths
The general director of Centers Le Grand Chemin, David Laplante, affirmed in a press release that “the experience lived by [Julien] presents many similarities with the life course of our young people.
Julien Lacroix thus joins the list of artists who have chosen to use their troubled past to try to do prevention. Notably her friend Maripier Morin who addresses various topics related to addiction and recovery with her podcast Grains of hope.
The comedian continues his return to public life with his show Time to time. He will be at St-Denis in Montreal this week, where he will present his media premiere on Thursday. He will then continue his tour across Quebec.