I am one of those, "debt is not evil" kind of people. However, it requires a certain amount of planning.
I get several hundred dollars back per year in rewards - I can turn those into gift cards that are worth more. That has paid for all my Christmas shopping more than once, and this year will pay a significant amount of my vacation. I don't pay an annual fee on mine.
My wife gets miles. This year that upgraded us to pretty sweet seats on a transatlantic flight. It was worth it. Her preferred card also gets us free baggage when we travel. That MORE than pays for the annual fee.
We don't pay interest, and we pay them off in full every month.
I have a friend who I am confident has six figures in CC debt, and has had at least 5 figures in CC debt for over 20 years. He kites balances around for 0 interest. I don't know how much he actually pays in interest and fees, it may be no more than we do. He has always lived beyond his means, and has never had the aspiration to elevate what his means actually cover. He is probably never going to be able to buy a house, and financing a car is a bridge too far I suspect. I haven't spoken to him in years, so I don't know if he has ever turned the corner, but I certainly hope so.
How we manage credit/debt is something that can save us FORTUNES, or cost us our ability to do things we want to do. There is in fact a middle ground between carry a pocket full of c-notes, and being a slave to your debt.
In OP's case - I suspect his credit score will stay about the same, or go up. It may go DOWN in the long term because of decreased available credit, but in the short term I suspect it will get a bump.
-shooter