Hopium and Copium: Two Terms Every Crypto Trader Should Know

Where Does Hopium Come From?

Hopium is a quite creative mix: “Hope” (hope) + “Opium” (opium). This slang emerged in online communities to satirize blind hope and unfounded optimism. Imagine a “fictional drug” that people take when they need a little illusion – that is essentially Hopium. In the crypto world, it has taken on a life of its own as the perfect description of certain investors.

The Meaning of Hopium in the Crypto Universe

In the world of cryptocurrencies, Hopium describes an investor who harbors unjustified hopes about their assets. They believe that a coin that has fallen 90% still has moonshot potential, that a dead project will be resurrected, that “this time it will be different.” It’s hope without basis in real data – pure wishful thinking disguised as analysis.

The term carries a clearly negative connotation. When someone uses Hopium to describe an investor, they are essentially mocking someone who is blinded by denial, unable to accept the reality of the numbers.

Hopium vs Copium: What’s the Difference?

Although they sound similar and often appear together in feeds, Hopium and Copium are distant cousins, not twins.

Copium refers to emotional coping mechanisms – the excuses you invent to deal with a bad situation that has already happened. It’s the “narrative” you create after losing money. While Hopium is unfounded hope for the future, Copium is the story you tell now to avoid feeling so miserable.

Both reveal emotional fragility, but at different moments: Hopium is hope before reality hits, Copium is denial after failure.

How Does Hopium Appear in Practice

Here are real examples of how these terms circulate:

• “Just a little Hopium to wait another 4 years”
• “When BTC hits 100k? I need some Hopium urgently”
• “If you believe hard enough, Copium becomes reality”
• “This project is just Hopium disguised as a roadmap”

Hopium remains the trader’s favorite drug who doesn’t want to accept they made a bad bet. And Copium? Well, it’s the pill you take after Hopium doesn’t work.