Hearing impaired individuals tend to have a heightened risk of substance abuse issues due to their impairment, and treatment services should be available which cater to their needs. Individuals who are hearing impaired can appear isolated, lack motivation, and be without goals due to their impairment. Many hearing impaired individuals then opt to self medicate with drugs or alcohol to numb this pain and have a temporary release from the psychological and emotional challenges that accompany having this handicap in life. To start with, detecting a substance abuse problem among the hearing impaired is generally a challenge, because these individuals may make an attempt to hide their issue because of social stigmas that come with drug abuse. Nonetheless, alcohol and drug treatment counselors who offer rehabilitation to hearing impaired individuals understand the challenges that these clients face. ASL treatment services are definitely a necessity, as are rehab services which address the particular challenges that hearing impaired individuals face. Group therapy gives a forum for important peer support so that rehab clients can know that they're not on their own, and that there's hope to handle their problem with alcohol and drugs. Individual counseling services might be more tailored for each person so that their particular problems can be remedied in rehabilitation.