Individuals who want to maintain some flexibility within their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab when they need rehab for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab allows for the treatment client to participate in treatment services with the same commitment you might ordinarily have to agree to within an inpatient or residential drug rehab program. This doesn't often work in the treatment client's favor however, particularly for those individuals who need to address substantial drug abuse problems. So although an outpatient rehab might appear to be an opportune possibility, it isn't for everybody. People who do decide on an outpatient rehab will usually show up at meetings and take part in counseling and rehab services on a part-time basis daily or several days per week. This is very helpful for individuals who have recently completed a far more complete inpatient or residential program as an effective aftercare or maintenance step, and for someone with only a brief history of drug abuse which is usually a really small percentage of clients. For somebody with more severe addiction and dependency problems, inpatient or residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation programs which provide rehabilitation over a long-term basis will probably be the more advantageous treatment option.