My story is pretty much the same as yours, but I have an extra ten years on you. I've been able to get it under control (my career is really taking off now at t

My story is pretty much the same as yours, but I have an extra ten years on you. I've been able to get it under control (my career is really taking off now at the age of 39) by practicing it like any other skill. Mostly it's the art of omission; I consciously suppress my impulse to interrupt people in meetings and conversation by preparing a response in my head until they finish. This has the effect of making people think of me as a good listener, and also gives me time to cut their argument to shreds if they are spewing nonsense (the old maxim "don't interrupt your enemy while they are making a mistake"). Also, it's good to be thought of as the quiet smart guy. On the topic of inappropriate topics, I just don't say anything that isn't related to work in public conversations. Once you start getting close to people in a company you can usually talk about anything in private. All the "acting normal" can take a toll on you, though.