Individuals who wish to maintain a certain amount of flexibility in their lives can take advantage of an outpatient rehab whenever they need rehab for drug or alcohol abuse. Outpatient rehab enables the treatment client to participate in treatment services with the same commitment one would normally have to agree to within an inpatient or residential drug and alcohol rehabilitation program. This doesn't often work in the treatment client's favor however, particularly for those clients who need to resolve significant drug abuse problems. So while an outpatient rehab may seem like a convenient option, it isn't for everybody. People who do decide on an outpatient rehab will ordinarily show up at meetings and take part in counseling and treatment services part-time each day or a few days per week. This is often helpful for many who have recently completed an even more extensive inpatient or residential program as a good aftercare or maintenance step, or for someone with just a short history of drug abuse which is usually a very small number of clients. For somebody with more serious drug abuse and dependency problems, inpatient or residential drug rehab centers that provide rehab over a long-term basis are going to be the more advantageous rehabilitation alternative.