Hearing impaired men and women tend to have a greater risk of substance abuse issues due to their impairment, and rehabilitation services must be available to them which cater to their needs. People who are hearing impaired can feel isolated, unmotivated, and goalless due to their impairment. Many hearing impaired individuals then choose to self medicate with alcohol or drugs to numb this pain and have a temporary escape from the psychological and emotional problems that come with possessing this handicap in daily life. To begin with, detecting an alcohol and drug abuse problem among the hearing impaired is often a challenge, since these individuals may try and hide their problem because of social stigmas attached to drug abuse. However, drug and alcohol rehab counselors who provide treatment to hearing impaired individuals understand the challenges that these clients face. ASL treatment services are definitely a must, as well as treatment services which address the particular challenges that hearing impaired individuals encounter. Group therapy gives a venue for important peer interactions so that rehabilitation clients can know that they're not on their own, and that there's hope to resolve their problem with alcohol and drugs. Individual therapy services might be more tailor-made for each individual to ensure their unique challenges can be addressed in rehab.