Your team is losing. A fan says, "We can still win." That is hopium. The word is a blend of "hope" and "opium." It is a fake drug you take to feel optimistic when the situation is hopeless. It is the opposite of copium. Copium is denial. Hopium is false hope. Both are ways of coping.

Hopium spread through Twitch and Twitter. It is used in sports, gaming, politics, and dating. "I'm on hopium that they'll text back." It is a joke. It is also a confession. The person knows the hope is irrational. They are taking it anyway. It feels better than despair.

Related slang

• Copium: fake drug for coping with a loss.
• Cope: to deal with something difficult.
• Seethe: to be angry.
• Mald: to be extremely angry.

Hopium is not always bad. Sometimes hope is all you have. A patient waiting for a diagnosis. A student waiting for a grade. A fan waiting for a comeback. The word mocks the hope, but it also names it. It says, "I know this is a long shot. I am taking it anyway." That is human.