I'm 29 and been playing since I was 16, Only started religiously using plugs about 3 years ago. Although that (admittedly unscientific) test shows I don't have hearing loss, I do however have bad tinnitus mostly in my right ear. It's always at night and in the morning. A constant pitched note, it's very frustrating and scary to think there is no cure. It sometimes keeps me awake if I focus on it too much, so now I have some sort of background noise going on in my room at night to refocus my mind away from the tinnitus. I Now will use my earplugs in any situation where it is loud. Even at the bar I work at on a busy saturday. I also don't play music loudly in the car anymore and have my headphones on a moderate level. It's all about preservation!