You can learn new habits that will give you MUCH more control over your speech. I learned them after I turned 40, and was on the verge of giving up also. While it involves some very uncomfortable work, you can begin it immediately, don’t need any special tools, and it’s all free. Look at my profile for my post here with more info (mostly from highly qualified professionals and/or people who also stutter). The inability to tell a lighthearted joke was one of the things that nearly broke me. When we have hard silent blocks, we tend to loose control over tone, timing and cadence. As you know, you’ll miss the window for the funny quip, accidentally interrupt, or speak forcefully indicating annoyance - when alll you want to do is share a pun and get a few chuckles! I totally get it…and just yesterday, one of my mental health clients blurted out “You are so funny!!” It’s possible…