[Ads-l] Blend: copium: cope + opium

[ADSGarson O'Toole]

Wiktionary, Know Your Meme, and Urban Dictionary have entries for "copium".

https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/copium

[Begin excerpt from Wiktionary]
Noun copium (uncountable)
(Internet slang, originally 4chan) A metaphorical opiate taken in
order to cope with loss or disillusionment, often leading to one
becoming detached from reality and in denial of their situation.
[End excerpt from Wiktionary]

This sense of "copium" is difficult to trace because early instances
are ambiguous. The first citation I found with a solid connection to
the pertinent sense is dated 2014. See details further below.

The following discussion begins with citations with uncertain meaning.
The first match I found that might be pertinent occurred as the name
of a band in England in 1994.

Perhaps some band members might be able to explain the genesis of
their name. Contemporaneous documentation would be helpful of course.
Here are two citations:

Date: June 2, 1994
Newspaper: Cannock Chase Post
Newspaper Location: Cannock, Staffordshire, England
Section: Weekend
Article: Gigs
Quote Page 23, Column 4
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
And the same venue plays host to Codeine, The Spinanes and local band
Copium on Thursday, June 9.
[End excerpt]

Date: June 9, 1994
Newspaper: Belper Express
Newspaper Location: Belper, Derbyshire, England
Article: Sheldon's Sounds
Quote Page 27, Column 1
Database: Newspapers.com

[Begin excerpt]
. . . The Spinane at the Wherehouse tonight (Thursday), exponents of
the so-called 'Quiet Core' scene which is, I suppose, the antithesis
of hardcore.
Propping up the bill are self-styled Swanwick slackers Copium, heavily
influenced by that style . . .
[End excerpt]

In 2003 rapper Keak da Sneak released the album Copium, but the
tagline for the album was "Counting Other People's Money" which
suggests a different meaning although a connection to opium is
possible if money is viewed as intoxicating. I could not find
contemporaneous discussions presenting a gloss of "cope + opium". Here
is a pertinent Usenet message in 2003:

Usenet discussion message
Timestamp: Oct 13, 2003, 3:55:21 PM
Newsgroup: rec.music.hip-hop
From: mattmatical
Subject: Keak Da Sneak - Countin Other People's Money [Copium] is
knockin in the club...

https://groups.google.com/g/rec.music.hip-hop/c/6IY6HPe51v4/m/lazBZvw7WS8J

[Begin excerpt]
Copium? C is for countin, o is for other, p is for people's... ium?

Matt...I don't get it "Cause when it's sink or swim you got to think
to win" (Ice Cube)
[End excerpt]

Both Wiktionary and Know Your Meme point to the 2003 album "Copium" as
the first use of copium.
https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/copium
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/copium

The following xtweet in 2014 called copium a drug used for coping. The
xtweet did not directly mention opium.

X-Tweet
From: Rounak Jain @r0unak
Timestamp: 3:30 AM · Aug 4, 2014
https://x.com/r0unak/status/496196405468205056

[Begin Xtweet]
@weemundo best drug for coping mechanisms is called copium
[End Xtweet]

The following 2016 xtweet mentioned opium, but referred to copious
instead of coping:

X-Tweet
From: Owen Townend @mrpondersome
Timestamp: 2:37 PM · Dec 23, 2016
https://x.com/mrpondersome/status/812381693483032576

[Begin Xtweet]
Copious amounts of opium = opious amounts of copium
[End Xtweet]

Know Your Meme says the following:
https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/copium

[Begin excerpt from Know Your Meme]
On March 30th, 2018, an anonymous 4chan [7] user posted the word in
the /int/ board . . .
On July 5th, 2019, a 4chan[8] anonymous user on the /pol/ board posted
a meme of Pepe the Frog huffing copium from a tank . . .
[End excerpt from Know Your Meme]

The following December 2019 xtweet included a picture of the Pepe meme
frog inhaling "Copium".

X-Tweet
From: Akhaten @_Akhaten
Timestamp: 2:49 AM · Dec 24, 2019
https://x.com/_Akhaten/status/1209380642791788545

[Begin Xtweet]
The only thing more addictive then opium is copium
[End Xtweet]

Garson

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