Hearing impaired persons tend to have an elevated risk of substance abuse issues because of the impairment, and treatment services must be available to them which serves their circumstances. Individuals who are hearing impaired can appear isolated, unmotivated, and goalless because of their impairment. Many hearing impaired individuals then elect to self medicate with alcohol or drugs to numb this pain and experience a temporary release from the psychological and emotional problems that come with having this handicap in life. To begin with, detecting a drug and alcohol abuse problem among the hearing impaired is generally a challenge, because these individuals may try to hide their issue because of social stigmas that come with substance abuse. Having said that, drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselors who offer treatment to hearing impaired individuals understand the challenges that these clients face. ASL rehab services are of course a must, as are rehab services which address the unique challenges that hearing impaired individuals encounter. Group therapy offers a forum for important peer support to ensure that treatment clients can know that they are not on their own, and that there is hope to resolve their challenge with drugs and alcohol. Individual counseling services might be more tailored for each person so that their own challenges can be treated in rehabilitation.