Tolerance to opiates (and benzos and amphetamines, ugh) isn't FOREVER, but it may as well be.
As far as the loss of magic goes, yeah. That's the part of opiate use that starts many people down the road to addiction. Chasing those first few highs, the magic. But yeah, it depends on who you ask. I'm sure some other people will disagree with me, I'm just going by my experiences.