Hints youth leader is slightly drunk (5)
I believe the answer is:
tipsy
'slightly drunk' is the definition.
(tipsy means somewhat drunk)
'hints youth leader' is the wordplay.
'hints' becomes 'tips' ('tip' can be a synonym of 'hint').
'youth leader' becomes 'y' (I've seen this in other clues).
'tips'+'y'='TIPSY'
'is' is the link.
(Other definitions for tipsy that I've seen before include "Merry, squiffy" , "1 over 8" , "Inebriated" , "Woozy" , "Slightly drunk" .)