Does drinking help stuttering?

[12345]

Anyone ever tried it? Getting slightly drunk, does that have any effect on stuttering?

[Vermillion]

The first time I got drunk, I was completely fluent. I think it had to do with losing the self-consciousness most PWS (people who stutter) have.
However, using drinking as a tool to cope with your problems is the wrong thing to do. That's how you become an alcoholic, and will cause you to have even more problems than you had in the first place.

[Flash]

Nice s/n you got there :p.....very original and creative :rolleyes:

Anyways, have a look at these 2 threads....

Does alcohol worsen your stuttering?:
http://www.stutteringforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=34

and....a more recent one....

Intoxicated Fluency:
http://www.stutteringforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=312

[12345]

ok thanks

I stutter very little, but got a presentation coming up and I don't like those, thought maybe if I get slightly drunk it would help my speech and make me feel indifferent

never drank until the point of getting drunk before, don't like the taste of any alcoholic beverages

[Gary1450]

While I'm drinking I can talk great.

But the day after when I wake up - twice as bad.

[cotton]

I tried some Jack Daniels before a presentation but it got me so drunk I was slumped on the bathroom floor and -- forget about making points in a presentation -- I can't even stand up. I couldn't get my degree because of that one class.

[Flash]

I tried some Jack Daniels before a presentation but it got me so drunk I was slumped on the bathroom floor and -- forget about making points in a presentation -- I can't even stand up. I couldn't get my degree because of that one class.Do you mind if I ask what degree it was you didn't recieve? Sorry, i'm just a curious person. :)

[cotton]

I couldn't get my AA in computer graphics but I managed to sneak into the BA classes because of a loose system. But that's ok. I learned enough. :D That class was advertising communications.

[maineguy]

I find alcohol nearly eliminates my stuttering, even when completely wasted I talk great. Like people said though, the followind day it's much much worse. I don't drink to cure stuttering (I drink on weekends because I'm 23 and it's fun), but it's certainly a great side effect.

[Gary1450]

I drank a lot last night and I could barely speak this morning.

Happens every time I drink.

[Neptunes]

When I get drunk my fluency is better, I think that when we are sober our stutters allways seem to be at the forefront of out minds, but when we are drunk we tend to forget all about it.

Right, time to crack open another bud!

[flipperfinn]

hi there, i would have to disagree with the other members .i find that i loose whatever bit of control i have over my stammer when i drink.

[maineguy]

I remember reading somewhere that there are two kinds of stutterers:
-The people whose physiological problem is not as severe but whose stutter is made far worse by psychological problems (stress, fear of talking, etc.). Alcohol would help these stutterers by relaxing them and taking their mind off the stutter.
-People whose physiological problem is worse and who try to compensate by consciously controlling their stutter would fare worse, since alcohol lessons one control. Any thoughts?

[Dug23]

I actually stutter less when hungover from a night out - think cos all i can think about is how rough i feel.

As for when out and about, it varies: most of the time is fine but sometimes (quite rarely) i may feel self conscious and it starts up. If im really drunk then I can't remember the night anyway, let alone if i was stuttering hehe

[Gary1450]

If I wake up groggy then I won't stutter as much but usually my anxiety is much worse after a night of drinking.

[Tine]

My stuttering gets severly worse when I'm drunk. I feel like I lose all control of my speaking ability. Although my stuttering also gets worse if I'm in loud surroundings like in a club or pub or even a busy restaurant maybe because I know I need to speak more clearly and that makes me more nervous. However in quiet surroundings im nearly almost always fluent.

[emily445455]

I've heard drinking alcohol helps with one's stutter...I don't know though because I don't drink. :)

[eva]

My stuttering gets severly worse when I'm drunk. I feel like I lose all control of my speaking ability. Although my stuttering also gets worse if I'm in loud surroundings like in a club or pub or even a busy restaurant maybe because I know I need to speak more clearly and that makes me more nervous. However in quiet surroundings im nearly almost always fluent.
I have exactly the same thing. Also what you said about traffic etc in the other topic, i agree with that, for me speaking is much harder in loud surroundings. Probably the same reason you mentioned.

-The people whose physiological problem is not as severe but whose stutter is made far worse by psychological problems (stress, fear of talking, etc.). Alcohol would help these stutterers by relaxing them and taking their mind off the stutter.
-People whose physiological problem is worse and who try to compensate by consciously controlling their stutter would fare worse, since alcohol lessons one control. In a way this makes sense, but i dont know which group i then belong to. Alcohol makes it worse, i loose control over my speech (and myself hehe). But i also feel in many situations my stutter gets worse because of psychological problems. If i am relaxed or confident im able to be fluent. Alcohol makes one relaxed and confident, but my stutter still gets worse. Could it be because of the surroundings where i usually get drunk? Loud bars and clubs arent the ideal places to relax.

[Tine]

I have exactly the same thing. Also what you said about traffic etc in the other topic, i agree with that, for me speaking is much harder in loud surroundings. Probably the same reason you mentioned.
In a way this makes sense, but i dont know which group i then belong to. Alcohol makes it worse, i loose control over my speech (and myself hehe). But i also feel in many situations my stutter gets worse because of psychological problems. If i am relaxed or confident im able to be fluent. Alcohol makes one relaxed and confident, but my stutter still gets worse. Could it be because of the surroundings where i usually get drunk? Loud bars and clubs arent the ideal places to relax.

I think we have exactly the same problem but with me even if im in quiet surroundings and I'm drunk my speech goes (but still not as bad as if I was in loud surroundings.) I think it's just the effect alcohol has on me. Although drinking does make me more confident my speech goes. I could be in a situation where I'm really nervous but my speech will be fluent. It's weird. I don't understand it at all. All I know is drink and loudness play a big factor.

[nate]

I dont think it affects my speech, by gf says my stuttering changes abit. I block less but have more whole-word repetitions is what she said, I think.
That said I never want to attach fluency to alchohol, or anything else except blissful happiness, its one of my few true pleasures.
I love beer.
I really do.
Nate

[Daniel]

I've never really found it to help all that much. I suppose alcohol affects people in different ways, I've always found it makes me light headed and gives me a bit of a buzz. If i drink to much I'm normally asleep before anything else. :D

When i have drunk way to much in the past, the world starts spinning and I can't stand up, and at that point I suppose my speech does show much improvement. But not many people want to have a conversation with a dribbling drunken fool, lying almost lifeless on the ground. :rolleyes:

We used to have BZP party pills over here, until they were banned only just last month. I'd only tried them the once, but they worked 100% for me. I was up till 6am in the morning talking, i just couldn't stop :) The stutter just completely disappeared. I remember someone asking me "do you ever shut up" :D

[jbrown13]

ok first post here i've stuttered all my life and drinking beer does help to a point i would say 6 beers and i'm very fluenent but 10,12 or so on like any other person that doesn't stutter your speech goes down hill and like eve said u loose control of "speech" that i'm hoping she's talking about lol

[jak]

well even if drinking helps your stutter you cant walk around drunk all the time and the drinking problem will become worse then the stutter and then your a drunk stuttering idiot who ends up in jail

[Nicholas]

No, but I recommend drinking socially as long as you don't have expectations. You can meet a lot of different people, and if they see you're having a good time then it doesn't matter.

[Be YOURSELF]

For those that alcohol provides fluency

Alcohol provides an illusion of confidence( its an illusion because it never last), being confident provides fluency. its simple as that. note how your fluent times were all times you felt confident. and felt like "I CAN DO IT"

[DKoz]

In my case drinking makes my stuttering worse especially when I'm drunk. The reason being is because I forget my "anti-stuttering strategies" that my SLP taught me. Doesn't happen when I'm buzzed though...

[Tine]

Wine brings out the worst stuttering in me. It's too strong. lol. I tend to stick to alcho pops.

[Cujo]

I stutter much less when drunk, people have even commented how my stutter has suddenly 'vanished' while I'm drunk. Unfortunately I stutter uncontrollably when I'm hung-over so the whole thing is kind of counter productive in the end.

[Manofsteel18765]

I don't drink often, but I had mixed results. Sometimes i get more anxious with alcohol, not common, but it happens. I dont drink enough to narrow it down to the types of alcohol, amount, that make me more fluent or stutter worse.

[nate]

how bout weed?
Nate
oh weed is aka cannabis sativa, marijuana, mary j, lala, poison, indo, pot, ganja, sensi(mile), holy herb, chronic, cryptonite, and a host of other names so if u r not familiar with the term weed, this what i mean.


pliz dont anyone be offended:p

oh btw weed smoke makes my heart beat very very very fast, i feel like i'm going to die, anxiety and paranoia of the highest order. even if i am just inhaling passive smoke. :eek:
cooked and ingested weed however makes me happy, my face stretches into a fixed smile, i dont know why. and i develop a rapacious appetite.

[Infinite]

When I start drinking people always be looking at me like wtf?! I guess it's cuz I'm real shy....and whenever I get faded I won't shut up. I don't stutter when I'm drunk...but I hardly ever drink...not really my thing.

Bud is a different story though...My speech gets real messed up whenever I smoke... I can't seem to put any words together and I say uhmm ALOT. But I do smoke more often than I drink (I smoke like once a week). Just a lot more relaxing to me.

[202]

no, drinking doesnt help.It just makes you not care if you stutter and not care what people think of you

[202]

how bout weed?
Nate
oh weed is aka cannabis sativa, marijuana, mary j, lala, poison, indo, pot, ganja, sensi(mile), holy herb, chronic, cryptonite, and a host of other names so if u r not familiar with the term weed, this what i mean.


pliz dont anyone be offended:p

oh btw weed smoke makes my heart beat very very very fast, i feel like i'm going to die, anxiety and paranoia of the highest order. even if i am just inhaling passive smoke. :eek:
cooked and ingested weed however makes me happy, my face stretches into a fixed smile, i dont know why. and i develop a rapacious appetite.

Weed doesnt help for me either.Its really hard for me to get high; either Im not inhaling right, or I have some type of natural resistence to it.I definitely perfer drinking.Its cheaper and it doesnt stink you up :D

[tb1223]

For those that alcohol provides fluency

Alcohol provides an illusion of confidence( its an illusion because it never last), being confident provides fluency. its simple as that. note how your fluent times were all times you felt confident. and felt like "I CAN DO IT"

I disagree with this line of thought; I think it's one step away from saying, "You stutter because you're a nervous person by nature. If you were more confident, you wouldn't stutter. It is impossible to be confident AND stutter."

[Marrow]

I think alcohol helps mine a bit, but then like a few other people have said, it gets worse when the hangover kicks in. When i wake up the next morning half pissed half hungover my speech is usually preaty good, but then later in the day when its 100% hangover it gets really bad. I always get really paranoid when im hungover and this prob doesnt help, think its refered to as THE FEAR sometime lol. Also i seem to be to tired/feeling like crap to use any of my fluency techniques and i block lots.

I havent done any weed for a while, but used to do it quite a bit for about 2-3 yrs previously, cant remember it making to much of a difference, maybe a slight improvement if anything, but nothing major, but it never caused hangovers so that was good.

[eva]

I disagree with this line of thought; I think it's one step away from saying, "You stutter because you're a nervous person by nature. If you were more confident, you wouldn't stutter. It is impossible to be confident AND stutter."

Hmm I agree with be yourself about the illusion of confidence alcohol provides. I stutter much less if im feeling confident, comfortable and relaxed. I feel that i get nervous in different situations partly because i stutter or i'm afraid i will stutter, not that i stutter because i'm nervous person by nature. When i'm nervous i stutter more, when i'm confident, less. Alcohol just for some reason makes it worse even if i'm feeling confident. Weed also makes it worse, talking is quite difficult then and it takes me a long time to form any sentences. I often forget what i was saying before i make it to the end. Tranquilizers have probably the worst effect on my speech. My speech is at it's best when i'm sober and able to concentrate to what i'm saying. And i'm glad it's like this and not the other way around.

[JDRow]

being confident provides fluency. its simple as that. note how your fluent times were all times you felt confident. and felt like "I CAN DO IT"

Maybe it's the other way around, and being fluent provides confidence. Maybe the reason people feel confident in situation where they are fluent is because being fluent makes them feel confident, and not because feeling confident makes them feel fluent.

To the original question, I don't know if I stutter less when I drink, but if I have a couple of drinks, I usually talk more. But if I drink to the point where I'm getting drunk, I stutter more because, like Marrow said about a hangover, I'm not able to use any techniques to control my speech. I don't generally drink much, though, so it's not really an issue. I only drank enough to have a hangover once, and I don't know if I stuttered more that day, but I definitely felt like crap.

[tb1223]

Hmm I agree with be yourself about the illusion of confidence alcohol provides. I stutter much less if im feeling confident, comfortable and relaxed. I feel that i get nervous in different situations partly because i stutter or i'm afraid i will stutter, not that i stutter because i'm nervous person by nature. When i'm nervous i stutter more, when i'm confident, less.

Maybe it's the other way around, and being fluent provides confidence. Maybe the reason people feel confident in situation where they are fluent is because being fluent makes them feel confident, and not because feeling confident makes them feel fluent.

Bingo. I just think it's important to make that distinction, since it's very easy to get the cause and effect backwards.

And as for the question, alcohol does not help for me, mostly because I'm not able to concentrate as well. Weed is even worse because in addition to not being able to focus, I feel very self-conscious and aware of my stuttering. I don't do either very often though.

[nate]

Weed doesnt help for me either.Its really hard for me to get high; either Im not inhaling right, or I have some type of natural resistence to it.I definitely perfer drinking.Its cheaper and it doesnt stink you up :D

good to see u back 202.
hope the situ is looking up man
and in my country drinking is more expensive that skunking. i hate smoking though. i like to cook the stuff, its easier to not fry yo brains that way, and it doesnt stink:D
nate

[BenLZ]

Makes mine worse.

[yonex]

I first noticed my speech was improved when I was getting drunk at a wedding. It was just relaxing and I was just dancing with girls. I'm kind of a shy guy and not really outgoing.

I got totally wasted at a friends house last week and when i was drunk my friend said I was 100% fluent. Keep in mind i probably had about 10 shots of vodka and i was still knockin em back.

I guess I dont fear at all when i talk when im drunk... just dont think about my stutter and just talk. It relaxes my muscles in my throat i think as well.

In school sometimes when i have big presentations I tend to have a couple shots before it. usally about 4-5 shots of vodka mixed in with oj. Its enough to slur my speech a bit but not enough for people to know im drunk. I stutter much less when I'm under the influence because my confidence is boosted. Sometimes i dont need it thoe and I dont rely on it at all times. I dont recommend people trying this but if you must you should experiment how much your body can handle so you dont get caught wasted at school.

Be responsible!

[Silent]

Drinking helped me before therapy by lessening my inhibitions. Nowadays it makes my speech worse by lessening my control.

[Silent]

I was referring to plain alcohol.
Absinthe seems to improve my fluency.