Richie Sambora spent a lot of years with Bon Jovi, and during many of those, the band was one of the biggest rock groups in the country. With that fame came all the trappings–including drug and alcohol addiction–and Sambora says he wants to be upfront about a difficult time in his life in the hopes that it will help others.

The guitarist debuted a new song called “Lighthouse” at a drug abuse forum in New Jersey on Tuesday and said he chose the title because he wanted something with a message of hope.

“I wanted to do something optimistic, a beacon of light and hope. Everyone needs that light when they’re far off the shore,” he said.

Sambora added that knowing what he knows firsthand about drug addiction has made him afraid for his daughter, and commiserated with parents who attended the event.

“I’m mostly here as the father of a 16-year-old girl. I’m scared. … But we can’t be scared silent. Together we can make a difference because this epidemic has to stop.”

Sambora recently teamed up with Nikki Lund to design a fashion line–Nikki Rich–which they just launched. Lund says the line came out of a shared passion for clothing and not because they wanted to add their names to something.

“It’s not about celebrity or that would show a lack of respect for the work. Richie and I design and create clothing to make women look and feel good,” she said.

Image via Wikimedia Commons