Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora says his daughter was his motivation to get sober.
Richie Sambora: Photo By Ros O'Gorman
The rock icon has admitted that 15-year-old Ava, his child with ex-wife Heather Locklear, was a “big part” of his decision to go to rehab to be treated for alcoholism for a second time last year.
He told Classic Rock Magazine: “She (Ava) was like an angel to me, man … that was the catalyst for me actually getting sober.”
The 53-year-old musician continued: “Luckily I wasn’t that guy who lost his band, his family, his house and his job. I wasn’t a victim.”
His first spell in rehab was in 2007, after the death of his father Adam and amidst the breakdown of his marriage to actress Locklear.
Richie blames being in a rock band for his substance abuse problems, which included heavy drinking and eventually a reliance on painkillers.
He explained: “I was in a rock ‘n’ roll band! Drinking was a badge of honour.”
His prescription drug addiction started when he broke his arm just two weeks before Bon Jovi were due to start a stadium tour in the mid-2000s.
He recalled: “I was in a bad way with my arm and I needed to get through it.”
Enlisting the help of “various physical therapists,” Richie began taking “a bunch of pain pills,” something he’d never done before.
He admitted: “I’ve conquered a lot of stuff in my life, but when I tried to get off those things I couldn’t do it … I was drinking too, which makes it double bad.”
Despite his addictions, Richie thinks rehab isn’t as bad as it’s perceived and is actually a good experience.
He said: “People look at rehab as a bad thing … I looked at it as an opportunity to do something positive for myself.”
