Life as a fluent person.

Achieving fluency was like having a weight lifted from my shoulders, I felt free.

I am now able to order food and drink for example, without fear of stuttering, speak on the telephone and am able to enjoy socialising. I have become a more positive person, life is no longer the struggle it once used to be. I appreciate my speech compared with the average fluent person, who do not realise how lucky they are. Some would even say that I talk too much, but this is something I will never apologise for.

Four years ago I met my present girlfriend, Sharron who has an eight-year-old daughter, called Taryn. Together we have a son who is nineteen months old, called Ethan.

What attracted me to Sharron was her positive outlook on life and I am sure we will have a happy and successful future together.

We recently bought our first property in Birmingham, which saw me return to my native city from Brixham. There were many reasons for the move, one of which was to make the courses more centralised.

As a stutterer, I seemed to accept second best. I left school because of the stutter, dated girls which to be truthful not only did I not feel attracted to but did not particularly find interesting. My stuttering mind convinced me that I could do no better. I was unhappy where I worked, but just accepted it; I did not feel able to put myself through the interview process again.

I now only accept the best and my life has improved tremendously.

In general, what fluency has given me is:

1.Confidence
2.Happiness
3.Contentment
4.Optimism
5.Success
6.Relaxation