Richie Sambora Inspired By Daughter To Get Sober

Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora says his daughter was his motivation to get sober.

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 Heather.

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.''