All visitors must respect the privacy and confidentiality of the residents. Visitors should understand that who they see and what they hear while at Gaston House is not to be disclosed.

Female visitors who are not family members must be 18 years of age and can only be downstairs, in common areas.  All family visitors (friends, girlfriends, wives) are not allowed in residents bedrooms.

NO EXCEPTIONS

Residents are asked to introduce visitors to the community and staff.

Visitors who are under the influence of alcohol or drugs are not permitted in the house. Staff members may drug test any visitor suspected to be in violation of this policy.

Staff members and house managers have the right to deny visitation privileges to anyone.

Visitors are not allowed to randomly visit members of the community.

Visitors are subject to the same curfew(s) as the community, and are forbidden to stay in the house overnight.

Safety of Residents

Gaston House prohibits alcohol, illicit drugs and weapons on the premises; Gaston House may immediately discharge any person in violation of this prohibition.

Gaston House forbids residents to engage in disruptive behavior, physical abuse or verbal threats; Gaston House may immediately discharge any person in violation of this prohibition.

Tobacco Products

Gaston House forbids smoking in the house. Residents may smoke in the outside seating area, on the front patio or in the front of the house.

Medications

No alcohol-based over the counter medications, prescriptions, cooking additives, hand sanitizers or mouthwash are permitted.

Residents are not allowed to take medications or eat foods that would cause a positive result on a drug test.

Gaston House is not a medical facility and there are no doctors on staff.

Diabetics requiring insulin injections must provide a sharps container at intake.

Residents are expected to take their medications as prescribed and have them refilled.

Each resident at Gaston House is expected to serve others in the house as well as the local community as part of the recovery program. We believe that true recovery is only found in helping others and learning that all actions, positive and negative, have an impact on those around us.

Work Crew

In addition to individual chores, each Saturday morning, residents spend at least two hours doing work that benefits the house community or the surrounding area. Landscape work, trash pick up, bus stop cleaning and general area beautification projects are just a few of the ways residents will spend the morning reaching out to others.

Sponsorship

As part of a 12-Step Program, each resident is expected to secure a sponsor within two weeks of admission. A sponsor is someone with more long-term sobriety who helps residents work through the 12-Steps. As residents work through the process, they eventually become sponsors as well.

Sharing the Message

Outside of sponsorship, residents are invited to participate in educating others about addiction and recovery. Many residents speak about their battle with substances at other centers such as Serenity High, Dallas 24 Hour Club, Salvation Army and Phoenix House.

Fun Sober Living

“We aren’t a glum lot. If newcomers could see no joy or fun in our existence, they wouldn’t want it. We absolutely insist on enjoying life.”
–Alcoholics Anonymous p. 132

Gaston House residents are encouraged to participate in having sober fun with the other men in the community. Located just east of downtown Dallas, there is no shortage of activities available to residents. Some examples include:

-Boating/wakeboarding/waterskiing
-Horseshoes
-Playing basketball in the back drive
-Working out in the weight room
-Fishing
-Nearby golf courses
-Local tennis facility
-Enjoying nearby White Rock Lake
-Listening to local live music
-Running or Biking down adjacent historic Swiss Avenue
-The 6th Floor Museum and Kennedy Memorial in downtown
-Playing board games with fellow residents
-Residents can earn video game privileges as well
-Playing with our rescued and very lovable housedog, Johnny Cash.

Occasionally, entire house outings involving all community members are planned. Some events include:

-Indoor house ropes course two to three times a year
-Shrine Circus
-Hurricane Harbor
-Texas Motor Speedway
-Whirlyball
-Authentic Crawfish Boil