Copium
Etymology
A blend of cope and opium — the idea being that coping this hard is like being on a narcotic. It spread through gaming and online communities and went mainstream around 2020–2021, usually paired with a meme image of a green gas canister labeled “Copium.” It is sometimes traced to a 2003 track by rapper Keak da Sneak, but the current sense is the internet one.
noun · /KOH-pee-um/
A comforting self-delusion someone leans on to soften a loss or a piece of bad news.
What it names
It names coping that has curdled into denial — the reassuring story you tell yourself not because it’s true but because the truth stings. Framing it as a drug captures how the comfort is both soothing and self-defeating.
Example
Fans insisting the team will still make the playoffs are running on pure copium.
Related idea
Cope is the plain act of managing a hard reality; copium is the mocking name for coping that has slid into denial.