copium

noun

co·​pi·​um ˈkō-pē-əm 

slang

: avoidance, denial, or minimization (as of a bad situation, problem, outcome, etc.) imagined as a narcotic

As we age, perhaps the best thing we can do is to stop believing in the inevitability of our cognitive decline. Even if it is copium, it might just work.

—Sarah O'Connor

The school hires some stiff … and the average fan knocks back a triple shot of copium and convinces himself this new coach isn't so bad and that a national championship is just a few short years away.

—Blake Toppmeyer

"That's what we call copium. That's him trying to cope with the results that he's very scared of and that he doesn't like."

—Maxwell Frost, speaking on CNN

Word History

Etymology

blend of cope entry 1 and opium

First Known Use

2000, in the meaning defined above