Alcohol is, because it's a sedative, what it's really doing is trying to essentially knock out your cortex. It's sedating your cortex, and sedation is not sleep. But when we have a couple of drinks in the evening, when we have a couple of nightcaps, we mistake sedation for sleep, saying 'Well, I always, when I have a couple of whiskeys or a couple of cocktails, it always helps me fall asleep faster.' In truth, what's happening is that you're losing consciousness quicker, but you're not necessarily falling naturalistically asleep any quicker.