Hearing impaired individuals tend to have a heightened risk of substance abuse issues because of their impairment, and rehab services should be available to them which cater to their needs. Individuals who are hearing impaired can appear alone, lack motivation, and be without goals due to their impairment. Many hearing impaired individuals then choose to self medicate with drugs or alcohol to numb this pain and experience a temporary escape from the emotional and psychological problems that accompany having this handicap in everyday life. To start with, detecting an alcohol and drug abuse problem among the hearing impaired is usually a challenge, since these individuals may try to hide their issue due to social stigmas attached to substance abuse. Nonetheless, alcohol and drug treatment counselors who offer treatment to hearing impaired individuals see the challenges these clients face. ASL rehabilitation services are definitely a must, as well as treatment services which address the particular challenges that hearing impaired individuals encounter. Group therapy provides a forum for important peer support to ensure rehabilitation clients can know that they're not alone, and that there is hope to handle their problem with drugs and alcohol. Individual therapy services may be more tailor-made for each person to ensure their own problems can be handled in rehabilitation.