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Opioid Financial Awareness | Coastal Life Strategies
The financial impact of the opioid crisis reaches far beyond treatment.
Opioid Financial Awareness helps professionals and organizations understand how substance use disorder and opioid-related loss can affect family finances, work, caregiving and long-term financial security—and how to approach those conversations with greater knowledge and compassion.
The financial impact is often hidden
Substance use disorder can change more than health.
The financial effects can appear gradually or during a crisis, and they may touch more than one generation of a family.
Household finances
Income disruption, treatment expenses, debt, savings withdrawals and recurring financial support.
Family responsibilities
Caregiving, housing, transportation, support for children or grandchildren and difficult decisions about financial boundaries.
Long-term security
Retirement disruption, legal or estate matters, reduced financial flexibility and adjustment after opioid-related loss.
The financial impact is still significant.
The national picture is improving, but opioid use disorder and opioid related loss continue to affect millions of people, families and communities.
4.0 million
People age 12 or older had opioid use disorder in the past year in 2025.
44,564
Estimated overdose deaths involving opioids occurred in the United States in 2025.
CDC reports this was down from an estimated 55,296 in 2024. The 2025 figures are provisional.
Source: CDC National Center for Health Statistics, 2025 provisional data
$1.02 trillion
Estimated United States economic burden of opioid use disorder and fatal opioid overdose in 2017.
This is a historical economic estimate and is labeled with the study year so it is not presented as a current annual cost.
Why financial education matters
You may encounter the financial consequences before you know the cause.
Trusted professionals may see changing income, unusual financial pressure, caregiving responsibilities or disrupted long-term plans before a family explains what is happening. Opioid Financial Awareness helps them approach those situations with greater context, compassion and professional judgment.
What the initiative provides
Education for the conversation. Research for the context.
Professional Education
See what participants learn, who the education is for and how programs can be delivered.
Research & Resources
Review authoritative research, economic-impact information and deeper public resources.
Led by Cheryl Canzanella, CLU®, ChSNC®, LUTCF®, CAP®. Her opioid financial awareness work has been featured in financial-industry media and presented to professional audiences nationally and internationally.
About CherylReady to bring this conversation to your audience?
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