A quarter of a million of us managed to quit the habit using the NHS - that's an increase of 63% in one year.
No longer do smokers have to rely on willpower alone: there are stop smoking groups and helplines across the country run by various organisations including the NHS and the charity Quit
We talked to Ruth Bosworth, from the charity Quit - and reformed smoker Michael Fitzgerald, who gave up in December.
Smoking is the biggest single preventable cause of death in Britain.
Most of us know it causes lung cancer - around 32,000 deaths each year - but smoking is also associated with heart attacks, strokes and many other killers.
In total, it's responsible for around 115,000 premature deaths each year.
And the effects of breathing in second-hand smoke are particularly bad for children.
Small wonder that the effects of smoking are estimated to cost the NHS around �1.5bn a year.
Campaigners from Cancer Research UK are calling for a complete ban on smoking in public places, pubs.
At the moment, the government is planning to ban smoking in workplaces, except in pubs which don't serve food.
Getting help
If you want to stop smoking, you don't have to go it alone.
Nicotine patches are now available on the NHS, along with counselling and support through its smoking cessation services.
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