It has absolutely effected my life and still does. I’ve always had a pretty stoic personality, so the teasing and the anxiety that often goes with stuttering didn’t bring my success to a grinding halt. I got speech therapy in jr high for about a year. It helped considerably by, more than anything, bringing awareness to my tightening muscles and how to work past or around speech blocks. I even got complimented in high school by students that knew me in grade school on how fluent I was. It really boosted by confidence. But with anything, there’s an ebb and flow. I still have periods of fluency and struggle, but I don’t fight it anymore. Today I’m fluent, tomorrow I may not be. I might have a speech block every time I open my mouth… that’s okay :). Today I am a writer and a parent to a child with their own flavor of speech impediment and eating difficulties. Speech therapy is a big part of our lives still, and although it’s not the answer for everything and the fight to be fluent isn’t the point – it’s to be confident, independent and safe (in terms of being able to communicate your needs as a person). Edit: To clarify, my stuttering is mild and during certain "non-fluent" periods it can be moderate-severe. During these periods I can't say my own name or answer the phone at work. I block immediately and no air will move! Hard consonants are difficult for me - Rs, Ks, Ts, Ds, etc.