Fariha Bhatti 
Copium is a popular meme in became a staple of the Twitch chat, but what does it mean?
Gaming and streaming culture has a large, insular vocabulary that sounds absolutely meaningless to anyone on the outside. However, streaming has borrowed some terms from pop culture that have become so common in gaming that their origins are now unclear. One such meme is Copium, a term that dates back to 2003.
Often seen on Twitch or under the chatting section of an esports stream, Copium is represented by Pepe the Frog inhaling from an oxygen tank. Here’s what it really means.
What does Copium mean on Twitch?
“Copium” refers to excessive optimism in the face of an almost certain negative outcome. Alongside this, people are said to be “huffing Copium” when they are overly optimistic to the point of becoming delusional.
For example, someone saying that a comeback is possible when the outcome of a game is effectively guaranteed is said to be on copium.
Copium is a mix of two words; cope and opium. The former in this context means to handle a challenging situation with resilience. Opium, on the other hand, is a drug known for its euphoric and relaxing effects. When combined together, you get the popular meme, Copium. It’s often used to poke fun at oneself or others for indulging in wishful thinking or making excuses for someone’s poor performance.
Where does the term Copium come from?
While Copium became popular on Twitch, it was originally coined by Keak da Sneak in 2003 when he named his music album after the term. The term has been reinvented numerous times over the years, with people creating their own templates.
It resurfaced in 2018 on 4Chan and gained traction on Reddit. At that time, it was often used for political commentary during elections. One original image is of Pepe wearing a “Make America Great Again” cap.
Eventually, Copium made its way to Twitch, where it was turned into a FrankerFaceZ emote, minus the political cap. The emote was a sad pepe breathing out of a tank labeled Copium. It is now widely regarded as a metaphorical gas that helps fans cope with the emotional pain of watching their favorite team struggle in a game.
