Individuals who wish to maintain some flexibility in their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab whenever they need rehab for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab will allow for the treatment client to participate in treatment services with the same commitment you might ordinarily have to consent to within an inpatient or residential drug and alcohol treatment facility. This doesn't often work in the rehab client's favor however, specifically those individuals who need to solve substantial drug abuse problems. So even though an outpatient rehab might appear to be an opportune possibility, it isn't for everyone. Those that choose an outpatient rehab will typically show up at meetings and be a part of therapy and treatment services part-time every day or a few days per week. This is helpful for those who have recently completed a far more comprehensive inpatient or residential program as an effective aftercare or maintenance step, or for someone with just a brief history of drug use which is usually a really small number of clients. For someone with more significant drug abuse and dependency problems, inpatient or residential drug and alcohol rehab programs that provide rehabilitation over a long-term basis will probably be the more effective rehabilitation alternative.