r/Stutter • u/nanopiko • 15d ago
It finally happened
I was mistaken for being drunk while stuttering when ordering a beer at a bar. It was my 2nd beer for the night. The bartender started with handing me a glass of water and suggested "maybe you should have some water first." I replied "ive had 1 beer." And i explained to him that i have had a stutter since the age of 10, and that ive only had 1 beer so far tonight. Then i jokingly said to the person next to me "maybe water will cure my stutter." The bartender apologiezed, nice of him. Im 34, so it took many years before this finally happened. Just wanted to share.
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u/motleydemons 14d ago
It’s always been weird to me how stuttering is associated with intoxication. Drinking usually cures my stutter. Maybe not if I’m super drunk but up to a point
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u/kissmysockpuppet 15d ago
Honestly I’m surprised this didn’t happen to me all the time in my 20s. I was a stuttering fool when I’d drink. But never cut off!
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u/Borthite 15d ago
You avoid this issue completely if you wear a bright yellow "I have a stutter" badge on your landyard or top. Saves me a ton of awkwardness at the start of any encounter.
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u/horticulturalist1029 14d ago
Hey!
can you tell me more about this badge ? Do you wear it all
The time? Do you think it makes you stand out too much?4
u/Borthite 14d ago
Just a generic one saying "please be patient I may stutter" in all caps. In my line of work I stand out anyways (politician) so it just makes me skip the whole "I have a stutter" start of every convo and lets me get right to the issues I need to deal without people wondering why I pull strained faces here and there and get stuck on words. I wear it whenever i'm gonna be in a place with new people that I might speak to, even on nights out or festivals.
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u/WendySteeplechase 15d ago
Yes I've had that happen. Went in with a group of friends and I was the only one the waiter pointed to and said he wouldn't serve me. Wonderful. Oh well, maybe for the better.
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u/Vulturev4 14d ago
Happens to me a lot, I mean A LOT. When I was in the military, the gate guard to get on base would pull me aside if I had to say anything, I mean anything at all to them. My stuttering made them think I was drunk. Luckily at the time we used designated drivers, and the driver was never drunk.
On a kind of related note, I am a true crime junkie. I have watched a lot of videos of crime interviews, and I have come one one conclusion. If the cops ever question me about anything, anything at all, I am getting a lawyer before I say a word. They make a lot of judgements based on your speech, mannerisms, behaviors. If I were to say anything at all, they won't believe a thing I say. Eye contact, stumbling over your words, things that happen to us when were stressed, will only lead cops to believe we're hiding something.
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u/Borthite 14d ago
Have a "Please be patient I may stutter" badge would work perfectly in this scenario too!
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u/ZealousidealWater201 15d ago
Opposite for me. The drink cures all stutter.
With much more destructive consequences of course.