In an excited state drunk becomes irritated (7)
I believe the answer is:
uptight
'irritated' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'in an excited state drunk' is the wordplay.
'in an excited state' becomes 'up' (I can't explain this - if you can you should give a lot more credence to this answer).
'drunk' becomes 'tight' (slang term).
'up'+'tight'='UPTIGHT'
'becomes' is the link.
Can you help me to learn more?
(Other definitions for uptight that I've seen before include "Jumpy" , "Informally, nervously tense and anxious" , "Irritated" , "edgy" , "Ill at ease" .)