Individuals who wish to maintain a certain amount of flexibility in their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab whenever they need rehab for substance abuse. Outpatient rehab enables the rehabilitation client to take part in treatment services with the same commitment one would ordinarily have to agree to within an inpatient or residential drug and alcohol treatment center. This doesn't often work in the treatment client's favor however, particularly for those clients who need to solve substantial substance abuse issues. So even though an outpatient rehab might appear to be a convenient option, it isn't for everybody. People that decide on an outpatient rehab will typically show up at meetings and be a part of counseling and treatment services part-time every day or several days a week. This is helpful for many who have just completed an even more complete inpatient or residential program as a good aftercare or upkeep step, and for someone with only a short history of drug use which is really a really small amount of clients. For somebody with more serious drug abuse and dependency issues, inpatient or residential drug rehab centers that provide rehab over a long-term basis will probably be the more beneficial treatment choice.