Addiction can lead to financial ruin. Ohio wants to teach finance pros to help stem the loss

abcnews.go.com:

Across the country, family members of children, parents and other relatives struggling with the disease of addiction are facing new financial burdens whether it’s missing work, blowing through their savings or becoming parents again in their 60s and 70s

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Joe Smith did not picture raising his granddaughter at age 66, but when his daughter’s substance use disorder meant she couldn’t care for her child, that’s where Smith and his wife found themselves nineteen years ago.

That brought all the costs that come with a new baby in the house, like clothes, a crib, a third mouth to feed — and sometimes a fourth, when Smith’s daughter lived with them on and off. His granddaughter’s father provided no child support. When Smith and his wife finally gained legal custody of their granddaughter, Olivia, Smith had missed countless hours of work as a construction electrician to attend court hearings and attorney meetings.

“You don’t get paid sick days… They expect you to be there every day. They don’t care what goes on in your personal life. I mean, at least the companies I was working for,” said Smith, who runs a weekly peer support group for parents of those struggling with addiction in Columbus, Ohio.

Smith’s story isn’t unique. Family members across the country are facing new financial burdens as children, parents or other relatives struggle with the disease of addiction, whether it’s missing work, blowing through their savings or becoming parents again well into their 60s and 70s. The costs can add up to hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical bills, treatment stays, damaged property and countless other unforeseen expenses.

The opioid crisis alone cost the U.S. economy $631 billion from 2015 through 2018,