Individuals who would like to maintain a lot of flexibility within their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab if they need rehabilitation for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab allows for the treatment client to participate in treatment services with the same commitment one would ordinarily have to consent to within an inpatient or residential drug treatment center. This doesn't often work in the treatment client's favor however, specifically those individuals who need to resolve substantial drug abuse problems. So while an outpatient rehab may seem like a convenient possibility, it isn't for everybody. People who do decide on an outpatient rehab will generally show up at meetings and be a part of counseling and rehab services on a part-time basis on a daily basis or several days per week. This is helpful for individuals who have recently completed an even more extensive inpatient or residential program as a good aftercare or maintenance step, and for someone with just a brief history of drug abuse which is usually a really small percentage of clients. For someone with more significant addiction and dependency problems, inpatient or residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs which provide rehabilitation on a long-term basis will be the more effective rehab alternative.