Individuals who want to maintain a lot of flexibility in their lives can engage in an outpatient rehab should they need rehabilitation for substance abuse. Outpatient rehab allows for the treatment client to participate in rehabilitation services with the same commitment you might ordinarily have to consent to within an inpatient or residential alcohol and drug rehabilitation center. This doesn't always work in the rehabilitation client's favor however, specifically those clients who need to address significant drug abuse issues. So although 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 take part in counseling and rehabilitation services part-time daily or a few days a week. This can be very helpful for those who have just completed a more comprehensive inpatient or residential program as a good aftercare or maintenance step, and for someone with only a brief history of drug abuse which is usually a very small number of clients. For a person with more serious drug abuse and dependency issues, inpatient or residential drug rehabilitation programs which offer rehab on a long-term basis will probably be the more advantageous rehab alternative.