The study sample included 1,000 new admissions to the Youth Reception and Correction Center in Yardville, New Jersey. Files of these admissions were reviewed for a history of drug use, and each new admission was classified as a heroin user, a user of marijuana or other illegal drugs, or a nonuser. With 114 users of drugs other than heroin eliminated from the sample, data on the remaining 886 subjects were analyzed. In general, heroin addicts were older, better educated, and more intelligent than nonaddicts. In addition, the racial composition of both addict and nonaddict samples became increasingly nonwhite and better educated. Nonaddicts became increasingly older, and no significant trends with respect to intelligence occurred. Findings support the view of addicts as being more socially competent than their nonaddict offender peers. Implications of the findings for a model of addiction and rehabilitation are discussed. 10 references, 6 tables, and 6 figures