I’ve been away from the forum several hours. No I didn’t mean to imply that Jon caused or was responsible for Richie’s alcoholism. I do think the role Richie assigned to himself in the band—the happy-go-lucky guy, glad-handling the reporters, industry people, fans, being at the beck and call of the Bon Jovi machine plus his self-described job of keeping the lead singer happy—meant that his own “self” was subordinated. Obviously life events such as his divorce, the death of his father, etc. put him in a crisis situation.

It could also be as simple as the fact that people can party hardy in their 20s and 30s but at some point there is a line between being a heavy drinker and having a problem drinking. Alcohol seems to take a more physical toll as one gets older. If in his 50s he is no longer abusing alcohol and is seeking to be true to himself personally and professionally, kudos to him--it is overdue. From his comments it is apparent that he considers himself part of Bon Jovi and that he wants to be back playing for the fans but there is an unresolved issue standing in the way.

Speaking of alcoholism...on another forum ages ago there was a discussion about whether or not Jon was an alcoholic given his years of drinking "one or two bottles of wine" every night. I don't care to start THAT discussion but I do have a question: We have all seen numerous clips of Richie wasted on and off stage, have there been similar clips of Jon wasted? I don't recall at the moment.