Prof. Belle Gavriel-Fried is the current Head of the Bob Shapell School of Social Work at Tel Aviv University and the Head of the Addictions and Recovery Lab. Her research focuses on the socio-psychological factors leading to addiction and recovery, using both qualitative and quantitative research methods. She has published dozens of articles in leading peer-reviewed journals, has supervised numerous research students, and has been involved in many international research projects. Recently, she was awarded a prestigious competitive international research grant from the German Research Foundation (DFG) for a joint Israeli–German research project examining the complex roles of partners of individuals with gambling disorder in the recovery process.
In 2018–2019 and 2024–2025, Prof. Gavriel-Fried spent her sabbaticals at Yale University, Department of Psychiatry, and at the Department of Addictions, King’s College London, respectively. She is a member of the editorial boards of the Journal of Behavioral Addictions and International Gambling Studies.
The main research projects conducted in her lab include:
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Mapping gambling behaviors in Israel – the first epidemiological study of the Israeli Jewish population, based on a sample collected by the B.I. and Lucille Cohen Institute for Public Opinion Research at Tel Aviv University
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Development of a recovery capital scale
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Development of a program addressing sexual issues among individuals recovering from substance use disorder
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Addictions among Jewish ultra-Orthodox communities in Israel
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Recovery of older adults from alcohol use disorder
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Obstacles to recovery among U.S. veterans (in collaboration with the Behavioral Addictions Lab, University of Nevada)
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The impact of gambling behaviors on the family
