OP Mistystza, I would like to say that I am one of those person with whom you are inquiring about to where their stammer has 100% taken over their lives and destroyed any chance of having any semblance of a "normal" life. A wee bit of background. I am 47 years old, and have had a extreme stammer my entire life. According to my mum I started speaking at around four years of age. The medical doctors back then honestly thought was, could David be a mute. To this day I wish I was born without a voice box. Back then and to present day, me speaking is such a workout, that its literally, a twelve round boxing match where I feel my stammer is the world great boxer Muhammad Ali. It takes me to get one sentence out of my mouth about sixty to ninety seconds, and that is on a good day. On a bad day, well over two minutes long. For the awesome stammers who are reading this, even two seconds getting stuck or blocking on a syllable of a word for longer that a couple of seconds, is extreme torture. My be its me, but I see stammering as a hidden disability. Another person seeing you and not interacting with you does not know that you have a disability. Growing up I wished I was not a stammer, but I wished I had a much for visible disability. Like being in a wheelchair, walking issues, anything else then being a stammer. Because then I thought I would have gotten teased less, and gotten into a lot less fights in school from my stammer. The ironic thing about being a person who stammers, is its like cancer. I am the only one in my family that stammers. No where on my mum's or my father's side and anything related to speaking disabilities. I did have a cousin who had down syndrome, but that is about it. I miss you Anastasia! I was the new guy of the family that had stuttering bestowed upon them, and it sucks. Yes, stammering has absolutely destroyed my life. I have absolutely zero self confidence within myself. From the bullying and being made fun of growing up, taught me that the world is an extremely cruel and destructive place. That if a person is not 100% spot on, then society does not give a flying fuck. That last sentence is so true. Stammering has brought me to having severe depression and a complete lack of self worth. I have been in and out of psychiatric hospitals because of multiple suicide attempts because of me being a person who stutters. One would think that I should be married by the age of 47, and happily married with the nagging wife asking are you going to cut the grass in the backyard this weekend. But I do not. Stammering made me extremely shy, and a extremely introverted person. The work I am in I travel globally. Even when I do travel for work, I do not go out, I just head back to my hotel room, and order room service. I have two brothers, both who are married and have three kids each. Anything family related, I do not attend, because of my depression. This is a horrific thing to have, and I one trillion percent do not wish this on anyone to get. There is no "cure" for stammering. No drug, no fluency methods, nothing that will do away with the stammer I have. All the medical professionals over the 47 years of life have told me that from what they currently know about speech and stammering, is that its the neurological wiring in our brains. To this very day the medical community has a very good understanding of how the other 99% of the body works, but the human brain is the last body part to fully understand how it works. So, I am 47 years old. Where do I see myself in the next year? Six months, a month or maybe next week? I truly do not know. As I am responding to this, I am currently at the Leonardo da Vinci - Fiumicino Airport here in Rome, Italy on a Friday 5 September 2024 at 8.40am. The weather is currently light rain. I just had a lovely week holiday seeing my aunt who is assigned to the Vatican. But I am headed back to work. I am thankful that I have my job, and it distracts me from me thinking about my depression. I take my life in hourly segments. Because if I think any farther out in time only brings extremely bad thoughts in my mind. I do wish every one that is in this form the very best in your struggles with your stammer. I am not looking for any sympathies. I am just telling my journeys as a fellow stammer. Peace, David San Francisco