One does not expect a person who has just been arrested for cocaine possession to offer words of wisdom, but Tatum O’Neal transcends this preconceived notion with grace.

The Academy Award winning actress was arrested Sunday night during a routine drug sweep by a narcotics team in her New York neighborhood. She had given the drug dealer money; when searched, cocaine was found in her pockets.

O’Neal’s first impulse was to explain she was “doing research” for the role of a “junkie.” Police officers were not convinced. O’Neal was released without bail the following day. She was charged with criminal possession of a controlled substance and arraigned in Manhattan Criminal Court.

After her release, the 44-year-old actress had something different to share, something surprising. She revealed to the New York Post that she had recently lost her dog, a Scottish terrier named Lena who was “the fabric of our family.”

The loss of her pet “set her off,” she said, explaining that she had tried her best to cope with the grief, by seeing her psychiatrist, attending a twelve-step program for alcoholism.

“I was doing everything I could do,” she confessed. “I have the disease of alcoholism. It’s lifelong. I treat it every day by going to my 12-step program.”

She went to state that “the guys in the Seventh Precinct” arrested her just in time, that they “saved” her, helped her remain sober and stopped her from “wrecking” her life. Now that’s a declaration you don’t hear everyday!

O'Neal is due in court on July 28. Prosecutors have recommended drug treatment for the actress.

The drug dealer, 33-year-old Alan Garcia, was also arrested. He was arraigned Monday on charges of criminal sale of a controlled substance. He was held in lieu of $10,000 bail, per the Post.

O’Neal resuscitated her acting career in recent years, after overcoming her addiction to alcohol and drugs. She has had a recurring role in FX drama series “Rescue Me,” as Maggie Gavin, the unhinged sister of Tommy Gavin, played by Denis Leary.

Peter Bogdanovich, who directed her as a child in her Oscar-winning movie “Paper Moon,” told People he had kept in touch with her and knew she was happy working on the FX series.

“She’s very strong. I’m sure she can [recover]. She has a strong spirituality. She should pull out of it,” the director said confidently, referring to her recent trouble.