Crushed my confidence. I’m over 40 now and my stutter is something that comes rarely now. Whether it’s age, all the therapy I went through, outlook on life or whatever, it’s improved. I can honestly say I stutter very little now. The maddening part is that I’ve never gotten over the bashfulness. The fear of initiating conversation. The complete retreat of self confidence when struck with a need to start a conversation. I probably wouldn’t even stutter! THAT, even more than the stutter is the real disability. To think of the lost opportunities because I couldn’t muster myself to approach someone to ask a question, ask someone out on a date, volunteer for project… stuttering robs you of opportunity. That’s why it is a disability.