I only stutter on a minor basis now but my worst was in middle school and high school and I didn't really get better until I had jobs which forced me to talk. They were sales jobs and If I wanted to make money then I needed to approach people and spark conversation. The repetition of doing this made me better and better each day. I look at like I got up everyday and ran as fast as I could through a field of shit to get to the haven on the other end and shit field shrinks. It has shrunk to nothing now and Im 26. Do I have my moments? Hell yes and they put me right back to being an embarrassed teen, about a year ago I was doing student teaching and stuttered hard in the middle of a lesson. These kids were 9th graders and unforgiving sons of bitches, I had about 5 students snickering where I could see them and labeled them for a verbal whoopin later. I recovered and finished the lesson, I held them after and asked them why they thought someone struggling to speak was funny? Would they laugh at someone struggling to cross the street cause of an issue with their legs? Or laugh at a blind person struggling to locate a doorknob? This isn't something I do on purpose and is it a severe disability? no, but it hurts people when you laugh at things that make them insecure. I had 2 crying from shame and 3 looking sad as all hell. I wanted them to know that I don't take that shit because I couldn't stand up for myself then but I will now and I will stand up for anyone being picked on. The trick is to persevere, never stop and never draw attention to yourself. If you stutter, then either stop and regain composure and continue or stutter through the conversation and never apologize because there is nothing wrong with you. Its the world that is wrong.