Your friend is conveying something that can be difficult but is important to remember: other people don't see stuttering as a big deal. It's not an impediment to friendships, relationships or any socialization. My stutter has always fluctuated between moderate and severe. Some days I struggle to get out a sentence and others I can speak much more normally. The biggest problem I had was mental. I was so afraid of stuttering that I avoided all situations where I would have to talk, especially in front of others. Before reporting I had worked through my teens at my dad's auto shop. I was the gopher and would get everyone muffins and coffee in the morning. As you can imagine, my heart was always in my throat walking up to Starbucks hoping I could say the names of everything. I wasn't confident enough to handle it at the time, but a very attractive barista asked me out and we had a short relationship despite my difficulty speaking. One thing I think all stutterers can agree on is the opposite sex doesn't care about it. What matters is confidence (which you can't snap your fingers to get, but is a long process). You might feel like a pathetic, gimped alien, but other people don't see that with stuttering. It's a very minor quirk to other people. It's hard to convince yourself but the truth is no one actually cares.