Individuals who would like to maintain some flexibility in their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab whenever they need rehabilitation for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab enables the rehab client to participate in rehab services with the same commitment you might normally have to consent to within an inpatient or residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation facility. This doesn't often work in the rehabilitation client's favor however, specifically those individuals who need to solve significant drug abuse problems. So although an outpatient rehab may seem like a convenient option, it isn't for everybody. People that choose an outpatient rehab will generally attend meetings and take part in counseling and rehab services part-time every day or a few days each week. This is often helpful for individuals who have just completed a much more comprehensive inpatient or residential program as a good aftercare or upkeep step, or for someone with only a brief history of drug use which is usually a very small amount of clients. For an individual with more serious drug abuse and dependency issues, inpatient or residential drug rehab programs which provide rehab over a long-term basis will probably be the more effective rehab alternative.