Hearing impaired individuals tend to have a greater risk of substance abuse issues because of the impairment, and rehabilitation services should be available which serves their needs. People who are hearing impaired can feel alone, unmotivated, and goalless for 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 emotional and psychological challenges that accompany having this handicap in daily life. Firstly, detecting an alcohol and drug abuse problem among the hearing impaired is generally a challenge, because these individuals may make an attempt to hide their problem because of social stigmas attached to drug abuse. However, drug and alcohol rehabilitation counselors who offer rehab to hearing impaired individuals see the challenges that these clients face. ASL rehabilitation services are of course a necessity, as are treatment services which address the particular challenges that hearing impaired individuals encounter. Group therapy provides a forum for important peer interactions to ensure that treatment clients can know that they're not alone, and that there is hope to handle their challenge with alcohol and drugs. Individual therapy services can be more tailor-made for each person to ensure that their unique challenges can be handled in rehabilitation.