Leslie smiled some at her explanation, and took a seat one chair away so not to crowd her. "That's understandable, I get it, heck we all do. Most of us have switched from booze to smoking, but shh don't tell." She spoke the last bit in a stage whisper. Wanting her to understand there would be no judgement for smoking. She offer a warm smile at the thanks. "Of course. In my line of work they expected me to take it black and bitter." She tilt her own cup just so to show a slightly lightened coffee, just one cream. "I put so much sugar in it I should be diabetic, but I work out all off." 

She offer her hand to shake when Amanda introduced herself. "pleasure to meet you." And have you remember me. "Congratulations on the divorce if you were celebrating it. Nothing at all to be ashamed of, when life is hard sometimes you have to party harder." Then softer for Amandas' ears only. "We can help with more than the drinking, for a lot of us there are underlying reasons for turning to it. Me? Crappy childhood left me too damaged for relationships, stressful job so I turned to the bottle for comfort, can't talk about the job in detail but talking about growing up helps. Marias entire family have addiction personalities and it helps her to talk about that. Matt lost his wife to cancer, no other family so we are his family." 

The once affectionate Leslie would have offered a hug or supportive hand, this closed off one kept her hands firmly to herself. "Making a fool isn't so bad as some of us. DUIs where people got hurt, were we got hurt, or the people we care about got hurt." Besides she'd been a cute if upset drunk. "You're just a probie anyway, court order right? Let's me guess first time non violent offense with a lot level of alcoholism if it was just cutting a bit too loose," she ticked off her points "Hmmm 90 meetings are for bad news, so I'm going to guess the suggest a minimum of 15 but ask that you hang out for three months or so? Could be worse, they could have sent you to a live in rehab center. This what you still get to live your life." 

She didn't have her gun or badge at the moment but to some her body language said cop, rather than it sounding like she'd experience it. Neither she not Dotty really thought Amanda was on a fast track to destruction, but alcoholism would land her there eventually. If she understood why she drank, why she over drank, then self destruct could be avoided. Leslie herself knew if she start to drink again it was over. So she like most of the others in the room were lifers. 

Renee came in then in a flurry. "Sorry sorry all, you know how it is. Let's get started I've already run into the hour." The short woman bustle to get some coffee as she spoke. "So we have a new face joining us everyone please welcome Amanda." Dark eyes glint some seeing Leslie near the newb, such a Leslie thing to do. The room had settle and everyone said, "welcome Amanda!" She took her seat and continue, "since we have a new face why don't we go around and introduce ourselves, I'm Renee, I'm the facilitator for this group, and a mentor to a few, and I'm thirty years sober." 

They went around the room people telling their name and sobriety. Until coming to one man who tearfully told them he'd fallen off the wagon. At the end of the hour Leslie turn to Amanda and asked, "so on a scale of zero to ten how overwhelmed are you?"