Ah, yes - I noticed this a couple years ago. It's always there, but sometimes deep in the background. I started noticing near the end of my drinking career - that when I drank, my ears would ring noticeably. So, I though, well, this will go away when I stop drinking. But, though the drinking stopped, the ringing (now less intense) is still there. Most of the time I can block it out - and sometimes, I want to shove a knife in my ears.