EDIT: First, good on you for asking questions before using any of these drugs. I hope nobody gives you a hard time, because you're doing EXACTLY what everyone does, when they want to learn about something in a safe, cautious manner.
It's not permanent. With proper PCT, your natural testosterone production should be back to normal within 4 or 5 weeks of post cycle therapy, in addition to as much time as you were on cycle (the rule of thumb is Time Off Required = Time On + PCT). So with an 8 week cycle of AAS, you'll need to run PCT drugs like clomid and nolvadex for four weeks, then spend 8 weeks off steroids altogether. Then get some bloodwork conducted and if the results don't indicate you've recovered fully, take off an additional week or two.
But I use 8 weeks as an example because it's about as short as a small mild cycle should be, and it allows for super quick recovery (assuming you're only using testosterone, since it's your first cycle). For quicker recovery, you should use HCG while on cycle.
The bottom line is, NO, there's NO REASON a healthy adult male should be shut down for life because of a steroid cycle unless they ran it for a crazy amount of time, or didn't take the necessary precautions afterward to preserve their body.
!