Hmmm... This does sound familiar. My DOC was alcohol, so the few times I took Xanax (another benzo like Valium) I had also been drinking. I would suddenly wake up in the morning with zero recollection of what happened about an hour after taking that pill. The good thing was that I wouldn't have a hang over due to passing out early. I gave up on benzos because I never got any euphoria out of it; for me it was instant amnesia.
I hope your friend was a gentleman after you succumbed to the effects.
It seems like it is best for you to remove all alcohol from your house and avoid this friend for now. Get some solid sober time under your belt so that you are thinking clearly and can say "no" to these temptations. AA has helped me tremendously with my resolve.
There is no reason you cannot take up tea drinking as a hobby in the US. There is a thread around here somewhere... I wish you the best of luck.