# Copium > Copium is a 2020 reaction image meme of Pepe the Frog hooked to an intravenous drip labeled "Copium," mocking those rationalizing obvious losses. Copium is a portmanteau of "cope" and "opium" that describes a fictional drug people supposedly inhale when refusing to accept a loss or defeat. The term first appeared as a rap album title in 2003 before being adopted by 4chan users in 2018 and going viral in 2020 as a Pepe the Frog reaction image showing the character hooked up to a tank labeled "Copium"[1]. The meme became a go-to reaction across politics, sports, gaming, and online arguments whenever someone is rationalizing an obvious L. ## Origin Rapper Keak da Sneak released an album titled *Copium* on June 17, 2003, marking the earliest known use of the word[3]. The album had nothing to do with internet culture or memes, but it put the portmanteau into existence. The word sat dormant for 15 years before an anonymous 4chan user posted it on the /int/ (International) board on March 30, 2018[3]. This was just the text, no image attached. The iconic Pepe image came later. On July 5, 2019, an anonymous user on 4chan's /pol/ board posted a meme showing Pepe the Frog huffing copium from a tank[3]. This was the birth of the visual format that would eventually go viral. - **Platform:** Keak da Sneak album (word origin), 4chan (meme image), 9GAG / Reddit / Twitter (viral spread) - **Creator:** Keak da Sneak (coined the word), Unknown (4chan /pol/ user who created the Pepe image) - **Date:** 2003 (word coined), 2019 (meme image), 2020 (viral spread) ## Overview Copium works on two levels. As slang, it's used to call out someone who is clearly rationalizing a loss or clinging to false hope. As an image macro, it shows Pepe the Frog connected to an oxygen tank or gas mask with "Copium" written on it, implying the subject is literally huffing a drug to cope with reality[3]. The humor comes from the drug metaphor. Just like an actual opiate numbs pain, "copium" numbs the sting of being wrong. The image of Pepe desperately inhaling from a tank makes the denial look pathetic and funny at the same time. Urban Dictionary defines it as "a metaphorical opiate inhaled when faced with loss, failure or defeat, especially in sports, politics and other tribal settings"[2]. ## How It Spread The Pepe-with-tank image kicked around the edges of the internet for about a year before breaking out in 2020. One of the earliest widely-shared uses appeared on June 26, 2020, when 9GAG user stefanlinkoln posted the reaction image[3]. Reddit picked it up fast. On August 6, 2020, user bananagan123 shared the copium Pepe in r/LoveForLandlords, where it pulled over 1,200 upvotes[3]. The subreddit's ironic humor was a perfect match for the meme's tone. The 2020 U.S. presidential election turned copium into a mainstream term. In September 2020, YouTuber and political commentator Vaush tweeted the meme with the caption "Trump rn," racking up over 2,100 likes and 125 retweets[3]. The following week, Twitter user @EverydayBastiat added a Make America Great Again hat to the Pepe image, creating a politically targeted variant[3]. By October 2020, the term had enough traction to land an Urban Dictionary entry. User enterprise1701 defined it on October 3, describing it as something inhaled "when faced with loss, failure or defeat"[2]. The effects listed included "extreme rationalizations for the defeat, outlandish theories of conspiracy supposedly perpetrated by the opposing side, extreme rage directed at the other side" and "unconvincing allegations of fraud and abuse in the system"[2]. The timing, right before the November 2020 election, was no accident. ## How to Use Copium works in two main ways: **As a reply image:** When someone posts a bad take, excuse, or rationalization online, drop the Pepe-huffing-copium image as a response. No caption needed. The image says everything. **As slang in text:** Call out denial by saying someone is "on copium," "huffing copium," or "high on copium." Common patterns include: - "That's pure copium" (dismissing someone's excuse) - "Pass the copium" (sarcastically asking for some after your own team loses) - "Copium levels are off the charts" (describing mass denial in a fan community) The meme typically gets deployed after elections, sports losses, game nerfs, crypto crashes, and any situation where one side lost and the other side is watching them melt down. The tone is always mocking but usually playful rather than mean-spirited[2]. ## Cultural Impact Copium broke out of niche meme circles and became standard internet vocabulary. The word shows up regularly on Twitch chat, where viewers spam it (often as a BTTV/FFZ emote) when streamers make excuses for losing. Gaming communities adopted it heavily, with "copium" becoming shorthand in League of Legends, Valorant, and other competitive gaming discussions whenever fans defend roster changes or patch notes. The 2020 U.S. election was the meme's breakout moment in political discourse[3]. Both sides of the aisle used it to mock the other's reactions to results. The meme's political peak showed how a 4chan image could migrate into mainstream political commentary within months. The word also spawned "hopium," a companion term meaning false hope rather than false coping. While copium is about rationalizing what already happened, hopium is about unrealistic optimism for what might happen next. Together they form a pair of fictional drugs that cover denial from both directions. ## Fun Facts - The word "copium" existed for 15 years as just a rap album title before anyone on the internet used it as slang[3]. - There's an unrelated genus of lace bugs in the family Tingidae that is also named *Copium*, which makes Googling the scientific term a unique experience[1]. - The Urban Dictionary definition posted in October 2020 reads like a prophecy of the post-election discourse that followed just one month later[2]. - The gap between the word's first 4chan appearance (March 2018) and the iconic Pepe image (July 2019) was over a year, showing the meme needed a visual component to take off[3]. ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What is Copium? Copium is a portmanteau of "cope" and "opium" used to describe a fictional drug that helps people deal with loss or denial. It's most commonly seen as a Pepe the Frog reaction image showing the character huffing from a tank labeled "Copium"[3]. ### Where did Copium come from? The word was first used as a rap album title by Keak da Sneak in 2003[3]. It entered internet slang on 4chan's /int/ board in March 2018, and the iconic Pepe image was first posted on 4chan's /pol/ board on July 5, 2019[3]. ### What does Copium mean? It means someone is rationalizing or making excuses after a loss. Urban Dictionary defines it as "a metaphorical opiate inhaled when faced with loss, failure or defeat, especially in sports, politics and other tribal settings"[2]. ### How do you use Copium? Either post the Pepe-with-tank reaction image in response to someone making excuses, or use it as slang: "You're on copium," "That's pure copium," or "Pass the copium"[2]. ### Is Copium still popular? Copium saw its biggest surge during the 2020 U.S. election and spread widely across Twitch, Reddit, Twitter, and gaming communities[3]. The term is still actively used as internet slang. ### Who coined the word Copium? Rapper Keak da Sneak used it as an album title on June 17, 2003, which is the earliest known instance of the word[3]. ### Who created the Copium Pepe meme? An anonymous 4chan user on the /pol/ board posted the first Pepe-huffing-copium image on July 5, 2019[3]. Their identity is unknown. ### What's the difference between Copium and Hopium? Copium is about rationalizing something bad that already happened. Hopium is about having unrealistic optimism about something that hasn't happened yet. Both are fictional drugs in the same meme universe[2]. ### Why did Copium blow up during the 2020 election? The meme was perfectly suited for political tribalism. After the election, both sides accused the other of being "on copium," and the Pepe image was widely shared by political commentators including YouTuber Vaush[3]. ### Is Copium a Twitch emote? Yes, copium is available as a BTTV/FrankerFaceZ emote on Twitch and is commonly spammed in chat when streamers or esports teams make excuses for losing. ## References 1. [Copium]() 2. [Copium - Urban Dictionary]() 3. [Copium - Know Your Meme]() --- Source: https://meme.com/memes/copium Published by meme.com — The Internet Meme Library