Going to a Rock Concert with Tinnitus

[Bill Bauer]

People routinely die from "one dose".

The lethal dose is higher than the standard dose that most other addicts can tolerate. With T, you can get deadly consequences after being exposed to the kind of noise that the other concertgoers won't even notice.

 

[Jiri]

How is advising people to not smoke; to not eat only the tastiest food they can find (cheese cake, pastries, bacon); to not use heroin [the euphoria drug] supportive?! You only live once!

How is advising people to get on a course of Prednisone after they were exposed to a moderate sound level supportive?

 

[linearb]

The lethal dose is higher than the standard dose that most other addicts can tolerate. With T, you can get deadly consequences after being exposed to the kind of noise that the other concertgoers won't even notice.

yea dude like I said you've got absolutely no idea what you're talking about, and it's just painful to read this, having a short list of people I knew who are dead from that crap, and having spent some time working in and with various recovery communities.

There's no quality control in street drugs and most "heroin" these days is Chinese fentanyl analogs; potency can vary dramatically from one chunk of power to another within the same bag, and people with lots of experience get unlucky and drop dead all the time.

The amount of people who consume heroin in the US is around 0.3% of the population. Music stats are harder to find, but the number of just baby boomers who go to concerts, exceeds the total number of heroin users by more than an order of magnitude. If concerts were remotely as dangerous as heroin, basically everyone would have severe tinnitus.

 

[Bill Bauer]

How is advising people to get on a course of Prednisone after they were exposed to a moderate sound level supportive?

I never advised everyone who got exposed to a moderate sound to take Prednisone. My advice would normally be to take Prednisone if you develop symptoms of a severe acoustic trauma (e.g., ear fullness or a Major T spike or new tones) following exposure to noise.

 

[Bill Bauer]

potency can vary dramatically from one chunk of power to another within the same bag, and people with lots of experience get unlucky and drop dead all the time.

Ok, then taking that stuff is just like going to a concert (with earplugs) when one has T.

 

[Bill Bauer]

If concerts were remotely as dangerous as heroin, basically everyone would have severe tinnitus.

They are as dangerous as heroin FOR tinnitus sufferers.

 

[Flamingo1]

I don't think that eating foods containing sugar provides enough enjoyment to outweigh the expected discomfort should one get a disease as a result.

Wow, you don't eat sugar either??

 

[Bill Bauer]

Wow, you don't eat sugar either??

A cashier at my local supermarket must have noticed that I have been buying only the food that is supposed to be healthy. One time she told me something along the lines of "Wow - this is the first time I have ever seen you buy a cheesecake" (actually, I don't remember what it was that I was buying). I told her that I was buying it for my fortieth birthday. I didn't buy anything like that for my 41st birthday - not special enough.

You can eliminate any unhealthy food you want. You will miss it for only 2 -12 weeks or so. After that, you won't notice not having that food and you will get the same enjoyment from the healthy alternative. You experience discomfort in the short run when you do something about your addiction/bad habit. There is no impact on your long run enjoyment.

 

[Bill Bauer]

p.s. By the way, once you break your addiction, after a couple of years sugary foods actually don't taste as good as you remember them tasting. They taste Too sweet.

 

[Flamingo1]

p.s. By the way, once you break your addiction, after a couple of years sugary foods actually don't taste as good as you remember them tasting. They taste Too sweet.

I've always been a salt /spice person myself. The hotter the better. Never been much into sweets, mostly for dental and caloric reasons. However I do indulge in Splenda and Zero Water. Easy to keep the weight off that way. I also reduced my caffeine intake which took about 2 weeks worth of headaches to do.

 

[Bill Bauer]

The hotter the better.

I like spicy food too.

Never been much into sweets, mostly for dental and caloric reasons.

For me it used to be mostly about caloric reasons, now I am also taking into account the dental reasons...

 

[linearb]

They are as dangerous as heroin FOR tinnitus sufferers.

However you feel about it, people with tinnitus jam in earplugs and go to concerts all the time. Certainly, some of them eventually regret it, but the idea that most people will or are at risk of progressing from run of the mill tinnitus to severe life-crushing tinnitus as a result of concert use with earplugs is just overzealous.

Put differently, most heroin users eventually stop using the drug or come to bad ends. As far as I can tell, most people with tinnitus who continue to go to concerts with earplugs, just continue to do so... and this is based on about 20 years of observation, with the oldest tinnitus-having concertgoers I know being in their 70s now (in fact my uncle has it in that age range, having been a professional musician for 50 years).

This whole thing is silly. If you don't want to go to concerts, that's great and we salute your conservative nature. If you have to make bad faith arguments about heroin to get your point across, it's probably not very sharp to begin with.

 

[linearb]

p.s. By the way, once you break your addiction, after a couple of years sugary foods actually don't taste as good as you remember them tasting. They taste Too sweet.

this I 100% agree with you on and I despise how everything has sugar added. We've tried to be very careful of this with our kid.

On the other hand, this time of year I produce maple syrup which is delicious and amazing, and so I personally am a terrible, terrible sugar addict. I don't like white sugar, I can live without honey or molasses, but that sweet clear amber that drips from my trees.... I can eat it as a meal.

 

[Flamingo1]

I went to a Cher concert with ear plugs this past February and came out with no worsening of my tinnitus. However I told myself that will be my last concert. Been there and done that. Definitely not worth the risk at this point. Plus I hate it when people stand up in front of me for the entire two hours and block my view!!

 

[Greg Clarke]

@Tom Cnyc Just noticed this

"Speaking of which - I missed Fates Warning this weekend, and really wish I went. Given your musical tastes, @Greg - you may know them."

Yes absolutley one of my favourite bands. Plus Joey Vera from Armored Saint has been with them for quite a while. I picked up a copy of Pleasant Shade only recently on vinyl, sound is nothing short of stunning. Would love the opportunity to see them they have never played Ireland as far as I'm aware. Where are you based yourself?

 

[Tom Cnyc]

@Tom Cnyc Just noticed this

"Speaking of which - I missed Fates Warning this weekend, and really wish I went. Given your musical tastes, @Greg - you may know them."

Yes absolutley one of my favourite bands. Plus Joey Vera from Armored Saint has been with them for quite a while. I picked up a copy of Pleasant Shade only recently on vinyl, sound is nothing short of stunning. Would love the opportunity to see them they have never played Ireland as far as I'm aware. Where are you based yourself?

I lived in NYC for 35 years and just moved to NJ (about 5 miles out).

They're touring with Queensrÿche. Cool show.

 

[Tom Cnyc]

That said, I don't think people who use any significant quantity of alcohol on any regular basis are in a position to be too high and mighty about benzos

I knew you'd comment there . Reasonably I agree. I absolutely drink too frequently, and I'd be lying if I said I didn't use it as a coping mechanism for my "bad ear days".

That wasn't really my point though.

 

[Flamingo1]

I would love to see Ghost live, but they're probably loud as hell.

 

[linearb]

I would love to see Ghost live, but they're probably loud as hell.

Some bands like Mastodon and GWAR just love shredding people's ears, but a lot of it will depend on the venue. @Tom Cnyc can speak to the way stuff is usually mixed in the US but I think it's something like "98-105db" measured at the soundboard.

If you can find an outdoor event where the artist is playing, that maximizes your chances of escaping worrying volumes. Personally I am fine at some indoor venues, but I'd never do another "noise band in a concrete box venue" type show (IE, the thing that boned my hearing).

 

[Tom Cnyc]

Some bands like Mastodon and GWAR just love shredding people's ears, but a lot of it will depend on the venue. @Tom Cnyc can speak to the way stuff is usually mixed in the US but I think it's something like "98-105db" measured at the soundboard.

If you can find an outdoor event where the artist is playing, that maximizes your chances of escaping worrying volumes. Personally I am fine at some indoor venues, but I'd never do another "noise band in a concrete box venue" type show (IE, the thing that boned my hearing).

105 is the LiveNation cap. Some clubs hit 110 at peaks. Outdoor festivals at the rail I imagine can easily peak at 120 - but are also probably not much above 90 in the back.

A concrete room with a heavily reinforced sound system is what gave me tinnitus also. I'll never go to a venue that isn't specially treated for live music ever again (all professional venues are, this was some Brooklyn hipster DIY shit)

 

[Flamingo1]

If you can find an outdoor event where the artist is playing, that maximizes your chances of escaping worrying volumes. Personally I am fine at some indoor venues, but I'd never do another "noise band in a concrete box venue" type show (IE, the thing that boned my hearing).

And imagine, most people attending those concerts don't even REALIZE what's happening to them!! I know because I was one of them.

 

[Sash]

I used to go out clubbing nearly twice a month. listen to music on headphones and DJ. I have stopped doing the stuff I loved however I need to have a release so three or four times a year I will go to music festivals. I am trying to manage the situation and give my hear some time to repair by having a three month gap between the festivals. I do take the necessary precautions which I I know some people with Tinnitus don't

There seems to be one side saying they continue as normal then other side saying never go a to a loud event. Pragmatic view is the middle ground which I am taking, I accept the risks and my tinnitus has got louder but for others its had no affect. Until there is concrete evidence, study and risk assessment of affects of loud music. I will go occasionally to events that I really really want to go to.

 

[Greg Clarke]

@Flamingo1 Ive gone to see Ghost, not crazy loud at all.Very enjoyable!

@Sash Problem is the people saying don't go by and large are young in terms of tinnitus so you'll get the " it's not worth an hour of enjoyment line" Weigh it up yourself, I think with proper protection and clearly not standing right in front of the stage you'd be ok.

 

[Flamingo1]

I have stopped doing the stuff I loved however I need to have a release so three or four times a year I will go to music festivals.... I accept the risks and my tinnitus has got louder but for others its had no affect.

So are you attesting to the fact that your tinnitus has gotten louder since continuing to go to music festivals?

 

[Sash]

So are you attesting to the fact that your tinnitus has gotten louder since continuing to go to music festivals?

@Flamingo1 Ive gone to see Ghost, not crazy loud at all.Very enjoyable!

@Sash Problem is the people saying don't go by and large are young in terms of tinnitus so you'll get the " it's not worth an hour of enjoyment line" Weigh it up yourself, I think with proper protection and clearly not standing right in front of the stage you'd be ok.

Yes i agree with you that there is too much scare mongering on something that could or may not happen. If that the case I would not get anything done in life on the basis as something "could" go drastically wrong.

However, I don't agree that people should continue to be exposed to loud noises on a regularly basis even with earplugs. It would be prudent to reduce social activities significantly like I have been forced to do.

 

[Sash]

So are you attesting to the fact that your tinnitus has gotten louder since continuing to go to music festivals?

Not just with music festivals but the the deejaying with headphone was the worst spike. I have had to give up a lot but unfortunately I cannot give up a few.

 

[Bill Bauer]

i agree with you that there is too much scare mongering on something that could or may not happen.

LOLOL I will let you be the one to answer you

I need to have a release so three or four times a year I will go to music festivals. ... I do take the necessary precautions which I I know some people with Tinnitus don't

There seems to be one side saying they continue as normal then other side saying never go a to a loud event. Pragmatic view is the middle ground which I am taking, I accept the risks and my tinnitus has got louder but for others its had no affect. Until there is concrete evidence, study and risk assessment of affects of loud music. I will go occasionally to events that I really really want to go to.

To quote Dave Barry

You must not be afraid. Oh, sure, you got burned and you got hurt. But that is no reason to give up. You must not be afraid. You must show the same kind of gumption as the cowboy, who, if he gets thrown off a horse, climbs right back on, and if he gets thrown off again, climbs right back on again, and so on, until virtually all of his brain cells are dead.

 

[Bill Bauer]

Yes i agree with you that there is too much scare mongering on something that could or may not happen.

You do realize that the majority of smokers will never get any disease as a result having smoked, right? When you smoke, you could get sick, or it may never happen. Does this mean that it is wise to smoke?

 

[Sash]

You do realize that the majority of smokers will never get any disease as a result having smoked, right? When you smoke, you could get sick, or it may never happen. Does this mean that it is wise to smoke?

Smokers or tinnitus sufferers will continue to smoke and go out respectively. The more you smoke and the more you go out the increase chances of having some ill effects. However some will try reduce their risk by cutting down smoking or frequent less to social events with loud music. Giving up smoking entirely and all loud music is difficult for some whatever the consequences including myself but hats off to those who have the discipline and determination.

I can't live life like those that take drugs, smoke or take other risks in life on the basis that something could happen that could changed my life drastically but I can reduce the chances it happening. It may happen but sorry I can't just out something I love for maybe three times a year maximum

 

[Mister Muso]

I'll probably cancel my plans to see the metal band King's X in September. Been waiting 28 years to see them again in Scotland, butI can't even listen to rock on a small speaker at home any more so what chance have I got at a concert?