A technique that worked for me once.

[Zilaem]

Im gonna give you a little background as to why I did this.

I was expelled from my school for bad behavior: this was more than 5 years ago. I was your typical trouble boy: bad language, fighting, breaking things up, bullying.

They had enough of me after me and a bunch of buddies went to a kinder classroom and turned the place upside down. They decided to let me go.

This was the second time I was expelled from a school. But now I was like 16. I was self-conscious of my stuttering. I knew I was going to face lots of embarrasment in my new school. You know that the new kid in the block gets treated like an outsider. But for me it was worse because I was a stutterer so they knew what buttons to push to make me feel like s***.

At first I was like: "I wont let anyone walk over me. Im big, im fast, im strong, I know how to defend myself". King of the world attitude. Ego-talking.

But as the week passed I began to realize that that was not going to work out. I was going to be ostracized.

I decided to read everyday for hours. I was starting classes in september so the whole month of august I was going to read ever day at least 1 hour. It was crazy. I was addicted to it. I couldnt stop reading.

So first day of school comes. I sit next to a new guy as well. Suddendly I beging talking to him. ZERO stuttering. I recognized some faces and I approched my old acquaitances. Agan, zero stuttering.

Second day. We had to do something in groups of 5. I decided to take the lead and beging talking about the assigment and stuff. Zero stuttering.

I was feeling GOOD. Woah i havent stuttered in like 5 days straight. This is amazing. But then one day the teacher asked me something and I froze. I began stuttering badly.

"Why is this happening to me now after a week of success"

I began to be paranoid about it. I thought people were talking behind my backs, laughing and making jokes about me. In class one of the senior students made a reference about it, jokingly.

I took it personal. The situation got the best of me. I ran from it.

I went to my old school, talked with the principal and told him a couple of things such as "The new school s...I didnt know what I had until I lost it...all my friends are here, I'd like to graduate with them...Im going to be a good boy now."

He saw that I was being sincere about it and deliced to let me in again.

I was back into my old school. I stopped reading and I was stuttering just like before and I didnt care really because everybody knew me and I didnt have that preassure on my shoulders.

Im 21 now. Unemployed, not going to college/university. Im not doing anything with my life and I blamed my stuttering for it. Im still trying to figure out what I am going to do with my life.

Im thinking of moving to another country cuz Venezuela went down the drain a long time ago. I dont have a future in this god-forsaken country and I wont commit myself into going to college/university in here.

I needed a radical chance in my life. I went to Canada last year for 5 months, away from everything I knew. I was never happier with my life than I was in those wonderful 5 months. I didnt care about stuttering at all. My mind was focused on something else!

Bah, im rambling again.

To make things short: I am going to read out loud for a whole month, 1 hour a day to see if I can recreate that situation when I was im the new school and my stuttering "disappeared".

[PurpleJ]

I think when you were in the new environment you didnt stutter because you knew people didnt expect that of you. You were creating a new image, a new you. No one knew that you stuttered so you felt free from it.
When your new class mate pointed it out, maybe you knew that you would start stammering again because thats what you thought they would expect 'they found out your secret' kind of thing. All the old feelings and nerves come back. And you probably felt instead of going through the worry of all these new people finding out your problem it'd be easier to run back to your old confort zone where people knew you stammerd already, which is what you did.

What you should have done is told your new teacher in private when you started not to ask you questions or put you on the spot because you have a slight stammer sometimes. The teacher would have understood and the situation wouldnt have occured. Use this experience as a lesson for yourself when you start a new job, you will always go through some training programme and maybe roleplay, TELL your manager/ trainer on the quiet that you have a stutter and not to put you on the spot and if you could you be absent for the roleplays. They will understand.

Theres no point us thinking we will be ok when we KNOW in situations it will show, we need to prevent it from happening, bite the bullet and tell the right people so we dont get into messes like this.

It sounds like you need to submerge yourself in strangers to help you find a new you. Doesnt have to be a new country, just a new area, new job etc.
But make sure you tell the people in authority about your problem, then you wont have to keep running away!

[stuckinNJ]

I am 34 years old and did not go to college because of my stuttering and how I thought I would be treated because of it. I guess I have a soft skin. I regret not going to college everyday.

[theboxer5]

Zilaem, try to find a job as a driver - either truck driver and bus driver. I stutter and right now I'm driving a bus for a living and it require little talking. Maybe you should go to truck or bus driving school and make it a career.

[esestutter]

im 19 years old.i want to go to school. I'm a college drop out.. I'm not attending classes ohhh I cant even introduce my self. I want to be productive. I'm such a useless. how i wish i am not a stutterer so i can get better life.
i'm so sad about our problem. .

[theboxer5]

These books would help you - Bill Parry's Valsalva Method and Yoga for Stuttering. They show you the importance of phonation and stretching your vowels sound. Also, for words you're stuck in first say slowly "Ahh..." to start the airflow then say the word.

[JR123]

limiting your self with jobs that doesn't need alot of talking or droping out of college because you are afraid that people would make fun of you is stupid, stuttering comes and goes, letting it block your way of development is the impediment not stuttering!
i say this with all do respect for all of you, i'm just giving advice, good luck all, and dont let it control you , you control it!!