Dry January?

It seems to me that the concepts of Dry January and Meatless Monday are praiseworthy in concept, but misguided in practice. It is good for a person to practice things of self mastery and self denial such as fasting and Abstinence.  Yet, it is more powerful when practiced for a sound reason. Fasting from alcohol after overconsumption, while good is not ideal.  Abstaining from meat for the sake of creation is good, but not ideal.  Catholic have had practices like this for millennia.