It shouldn't come as any mystery that the Chicago drug trade is pretty robust. After all, Chicago is central to the Midwest. Crack cocaine is everywhere (as it is in any large city in the US). As a result, drug rehab cases in Chicago -- for crack -- have doubled since the 90's. Heroin abuse is also up. This means Chicago drug rehab facilities, more than ever, have their hands full.

Chicago drug rehab is doubly important because of the crime that accompanies the sale and use of illegal drugs. Street gangs have a lot at stake in protecting their turf because, of course, there is a lot of money to be made. And this means that violent crime is up in Chicago, even as it may be falling elsewhere in the surrounding region. In short, drug abuse is not a victimless crime.

As a result, a tremendous volume of time and money is being spent on apprehending criminals and bringing them to justice in Chicago. But a side effect of this is that un-apprehended drug users are reluctant to step forward seek help for their addictions. So they keep buying drugs, pushing the wheel around for another destructive cycle.

Instead of focusing just on the criminal justice side of the drug problem, the "supply side" if you will, there should be a renewed effort shut down the "demand side." There are plenty of Chicago drug rehab facilities that are ready to provide assistance to the other victims of the crime: those individuals that are addicts of the drugs sold by the criminals.

It won't be easy, of course. It never is. Chicago drug rehab centers have to help recovering addicts from back-sliding once they've kicked their habit. Drugs are so easy to buy that the temptation is great to start using again. Patients in Chicago drug rehab centers have to work through all their issues, including why they started using drugs in the first place. They need help in figuring out new ways to break old habits. They need to be able to resist peer pressure to "fit in" with other addicts.

This is why aftercare is so important. Chicago drug rehab counselors and therapists must be available to help them when they most need it and when they are at their weakest point. This is the only way for a drug addict to truly recover in the long term.

Chicago is a terrific city. It really is America's Second City. There are lots of resources to help you, or a loved one, get the upper hand over drug dependency. If you need help, choose the Chicago drug rehab facility that will help you address all the sources of your problem, through all the stages it progresses through. See and experience Chicago fully -- without being lost in a haze of drugs.