Like a college student emerging battered and bleary-eyed from an usually vigorous Spring Break bender, China has come through its latest Lunar New Year holiday wondering whether or not it might be time to consider abstinence.

The intoxicant in question isn’t alcohol—although plenty of that gets consumed over the holiday—but fireworks.

China’s traditional New Year fireworks frenzy is among the most visually and aurally stunning experiences on Earth. It is also, however, extremely destructive. Between Feb. 2 and Feb. 8, the country saw nearly 12,000 fires, which led to 40 deaths and more than 56 million yuan, or roughly $8.5 million, in economic losses, China Daily reports citing statistics from the Ministry of Public Security. Those figures, the paper says, have “reignited” debates in a number of Chinese cities about whether fireworks should be banned.

A Lunar New Year without fireworks is a sobering thought indeed. Prior to the lifting of a previous fireworks ban in 2005, Beijing during the holiday was like the set of a post-Apocalyptic movie: stores shuttered, restaurants closed, streets empty except for the occasional stray cat or stranded foreigner lost in a haze of loneliness and boredom. At midnight on New Year’s Eve, virtually the only sound was the muffled echo of TV sets tuned to the annual Spring Festival gala on CCTV, also virtually the only source of light.

Since being put back in the hands of civilians, however, fireworks have wreaked significant damage. Among the victims this year: A high-rise building in Shenyang, part of a forest in Zhejiang province and a thousand year-old temple in Fuzhou.

In Beijing, fireworks were linked to two deaths and nearly 400 injuries over the holiday this year, according to municipal government figures.

Among those arguing Beijing should reinstate its ban is a journalist, Shi Shusi, whose blog post on the topic China Daily quotes: “With such a high population density and so little precipitation this winter, allowing fireworks to be shot off in cities is the same as letting thousands of people play with fire at the same time.”

Danger isn’t the only issue. With fireworks going off day and night for a full week—imagine seven consecutive Fourths of July—it’s common to emerge from the holiday feeling shell-shocked and sleep-deprived.

Exactly how many people are fed-up enough with fireworks to support a ban is difficult to determine. In one ongoing online poll conducted by the website of the Global Times, 45% say they want a ban, but such polls are hardly scientific.

A full ban isn’t the only option. Wu Zuolai, a researcher at the Chinese National Academy of Arts, tells China Daily he thinks the government should prohibit private fireworks and replace them with professional, government-managed pyrotechnics.

Of course, the thrill of putting match to fuse is half the attraction of fireworks, and it’s not clear how many people would be satisfied watching someone else man the flame. And besides, one of the worst fireworks accidents in recent memory—the 2009 scorching of the Rem Koolhaas-designed TVCC tower in Beijing—was perpetrated by a professional team under the supervision of a government employee.