Individuals who want to maintain a certain amount of flexibility within their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab if they need rehabilitation for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab enables the rehab client to participate in treatment services without the commitment you might usually have to consent to within an inpatient or residential drug rehab facility. This doesn't often work in the treatment client's favor however, specifically those clients who need to solve substantial drug abuse problems. So although an outpatient rehab may seem like a convenient possibility, it isn't for everyone. People that do decide on an outpatient rehab will usually show up at meetings and be a part of therapy and rehab services part-time daily or several days weekly. This can be very helpful for many who have recently completed a more extensive inpatient or residential program as an effective aftercare or maintenance step, or for someone with only a short history of drug use which is really a really small percentage of clients. For somebody with more severe addiction and dependency problems, inpatient or residential drug treatment programs which offer rehab over a long-term basis will be the more effective treatment choice.